Going To Know You Again
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Klaus, Amy, Alistair, and Astrid are sent back in time thanks to a spell cast by the boys who resurrected Amelia and Andrew. They get stuck in the past with no memories of who they are (except for Alistair), and have to get to know each other again while Helene runs the Council and the magical world descends into chaos. Crossover with Between Friends And Lovers.
1. Enemies Meet

**Disclaimer: Only plot and any original characters belong to me!**

"So are Steve and his friends still asking you about learning the time travel spell?" Amy asked Astrid.

"Yes," Astrid nodded. "And of course I'm not going to share it with them. Not now. It's too early." She looked at Alistair. "What do you think, dear? Should I take the interns aside and teach them how to do time travel?"

Alistair raised an eyebrow. "These are the same interns that made Selina's family rise from the dead?"

"Yes," Astrid nodded. "Exactly.

"No," Alistair shook his head. "Don't you do it. They're just children. Learning a spell like that requires the caster have maturity and the ability to know when to cast and when not to, and these boys are just teenagers, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Astrid nodded. "That's true."

"Well, that should answer the question easily enough," Alistair replied. "If someone isn't mature enough to handle the responsibility of a spell, they shouldn't be learning it."

Astrid smiled. "You know, sometimes I think _you_ should be head of the Council, Alistair!"

Alistair brushed the compliment away. "Oh, I couldn't do that," he said. "You're much better with it than I am, although I'm perfectly happy to help you behind the scenes."

Astrid kissed him again and he blushed brightly. "People are watching!" he said.

"Are you embarrassed to watch us kiss?" Astrid asked Amy and Klaus.

"No," Klaus said even though he was trying not to chuckle. "It's fine. Go ahead."

"Stop laughing!" Amy reprimanded Klaus, who disregarded her, got the laughter out of his system before looking at Amy and going, "Sorry!"

Alistair knew him too well to think the apology meant anything, but he dropped the subject and went to something else. "You showed Amy the pictures, didn't you?" He asked Klaus.

"Of course I did," Klaus told him. "That's what we brought them for, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I wondered if you'd gotten distracted and done other things instead," Alistair told him.

"No, he _did_ show them to me. They were so nice. It made me think of when I was growing up."

"You know, I always forget that you were born in the nineteenth century," Astrid told her. "You've adapted so well."

"You have to when the times change," Amy shrugged. "It's how you fit in. But I don't need to explain that to anyone here, do I?"

"No, you don't really," Klaus replied cheerfully. "We've been adapting for a lot longer."

"Something you were more than happy to do in more debauched times," Alistair pointed out. "The more scandalous, the better!"

"Can I help it if I like to have a good time?" Klaus asked. "And sometimes you enjoyed things too. Don't pretend you didn't."

"Maybe," Alistair replied. "But we don't need to go into detail about any of that, do we?"

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Astrid told him. "I know there was a time in your life before you met with me, plus all that time you and I were separated. And you're such an attractive man that you couldn't have always been single. I refuse to believe that."

"I suppose you could say I've had the occasional romantic experience," Alistair told her. "But by far, you're the best one."

"Awww!" Astrid smiled. "Aren't you sweet?"

Amy could tell that they wanted to kiss, but were too well-mannered to do it in front of other people. This made her grab Klaus' hand and say, "Let's go to our room for a bit. I have something I want to show you."

"You do, do you?" Klaus chuckled and pulled her against himself. "I like it when you show me things in our room."

"It's not that sort of thing!" Amy told him and gave him a push. "I have pictures of myself too. I thought you'd want to see them."

"I suppose I could," Klaus agreed.

So Amy took him to their bedroom and then went to get the pictures, which Klaus enjoyed immensely until they came across one of her and Jonathan Putnam.

"Wait a minute!" Klaus told her. "Stop right there. I want to look at that one again, the one of you and Putnam."

"No, you don't!" Amy told him and refused to turn back to it. "If I let you see it again, you'll probably just take it out and tear it up or something."

"And why shouldn't I?" Klaus wanted to know. "That's all in the past. Why would you want to have memories of an engagement you broke off?"

"Because he was my friend before he was my fiancé," Amy told him. "And just because I broke off our engagement doesn't mean I want to, or should forget about it completely. However…" She removed that photo and a couple of others and stuck them in a ziplock bag. "If you're that insecure, I suppose I could bring them to Savannah. She might get a kick out of seeing them."

"Yes, do that," Klaus nodded. "Good idea. Do I have to go with you when you take them?"

"No," Amy said. "I wouldn't subject you to such a thing, I swear."

"Good," Klaus nodded. "Thank you. And may I just say that you looked lovely in all the pictures where Putnam wasn't with you."

"Thank you," Amy told him dryly. "I appreciate that."

As they came back, Alistair and Astrid quickly pulled themselves apart. "Okay, we're done now," Astrid quickly assured them, before giving Alistair a hot look. "For now, anyway."

"We were just looking at pictures of Amy and she was nice enough to take the ones of her and Jonathan Putnam out of her album and put them in a bag to take to Savannah," Klaus said.

"Why is it that you still have a problem with Jonathan Putnam after all this time?" Alistair asked Klaus.

"I have my reasons," Klaus replied. "I don't expect you to understand them."

"So in other words, you still hate that he was engaged to Amy once and that he's now married to your daughter," Alistair nodded. "Okay, I get it now."

"No, I don't think you do," Klaus told him.

"You just keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better," Alistair said. "After all this time, I _do_ know a thing or two about you."

"Yes, well, whatever," Klaus replied and stood up. "Who wants a drink?"

"I'll have some of that Pinot gris you got the other day when we were at the store," Amy told him. "You said that we would wait for a special occasion to crack that open, and I think now is a good time. Astrid's getting on her feet at the Council, and things seem to be going well. In fact, let's toast to that."

"No, I really have to toast to _you_ ," Astrid told her. "You've really been a big help with getting me back onto solid ground with everyone. I appreciate it. In fact, would you mind taking over for me if something were to leave me indisposed?"

"Can you do that?" Amy asked, while Klaus looked as if someone had made him swallow a live bug.

"I can appoint whomever I want," Astrid replied. "As long as they are a competent manager. And I think you would be."

"But what about _me_ then?" Klaus stood up and asked. "Who's gonna take care of me if Amy is off working full time at the Council?"

"Oh, would you calm down?" Alistair told him. "I'll take care of you if Amy wants to go and work. It's what I'm good at, you know."

"I couldn't ask you to do that," Amy told him. "At least not all the time." Then she turned to Astrid. "Why don't you ask Helene? She's a good manager. And her husband's not _half_ as needy!"

"That is a very good point!" Astrid nodded while Klaus glowered. "I think I'll put out the possibility to her. Yeah. That's what I'll do. Thank you so much for the suggestion, Amy."

"No problem," Amy replied. "It's my pleasure."

* * *

"These are seriously you, Mom?" Savannah asked when Amy brought her the pictures and sat with her on the sofa looking at them. "You don't look very different. It's like you went to one of those historical parks and took an old-time photo."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" Amy said and kissed her daughter's hair. "Witches _do_ age well, I guess."

Just then, Jonathan came in, with one hand in Sean Junior's. "Hello, Amy," he said brightly, then turned to her husband, who'd agreed to come just to see his daugter. "Klaus."

"Putnam," Klaus replied, eyes narrowed.

But Sean Junior was oblivious to the hostility between his two grandfathers and ran to try and get on Klaus' lap.

"There now, see?" Amy told him. "Junior is happy to see you."

"Yeah," Klaus nodded. "The boy has good taste."

"What did you bring us, Amy?" Jonathan asked her.

"I brought Savannah some old photos of me, including one taken of you and me the day we got engaged," Amy told him. "It might not have turned out the way we wanted it, but we still both look really good." She handed Jonathan the photo, which had been taken in photography's very early days.

"From what you can see, we really _did_ make a handsome couple, didn't we?" He said after looking at it a little bit. Then he said to Savannah, "Would you mind if I put this on the mantle?"

"Sure, go ahead," Savannah replied. "I would love it." Then she gasped as Junior picked up one of the photos and put it in his mouth. "No!" She told him firmly and gently pulled it out. "That's not for eating!" Then she sighed as he gave her a sad face. "I bet he's wishing his mother had let him spend the day with Christine and Sarah. He really likes it over there." She ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm sure your mommy will take you there tomorrow."

Jonathan put the engagement photo on the mantle, and then, so Klaus wouldn't throw another fit, Amy decided they should go. They gave their daughter a kiss and a hug and then headed back home so that Amy could find a way to distract him.

* * *

"You sure you won't get in trouble giving me a job like this?" Helene asked after Astrid told her about the need to have someone trained to take over the council in her absence. "I mean, you did get in trouble for just doing things for your friends."

"Oh, but this isn't an official position per se," Astrid replied. "And you're a competent organizer. You could run the council well, don't you think?"

"I think she could," Adrian said. "She runs my life pretty well when I let her."

"So you wouldn't mind me going if I wanted to?" Helene asked.

"Sure, go," Adrian replied affably. "Doesn't bother me."

"Yeah, don't worry," Kai called from the kitchen. "I'll look after him for you."

"That makes me feel _so_ much better!" Helene called to him. But she looked at her mother and said, "You know, I've been looking for something to do outside the house for a while. And you're right. I really think I could do it. All right, Mom. I'll take the job!"


	2. The Ripper Returns

"Here it is, boys," Steven said as they met up after their time at the Council was over for the day. "I got it out of Miss Amy's office." He held up the picture. "Look at it and be amazed. This is gonna make us legendary."

"You know, that's a really good picture," Percy said. "I can see why you took it. I never realized how pretty Miss Amy was until right now."

"I didn't get the picture because Amy is pretty in it!" Steve replied irritably. "This is what we're gonna use to make the spell work!"

"You mean, we're gonna go back into the past?" John asked. "Isn't that risky?"

"Of course it is!" Steven told him. "That's why we're not going ourselves. We'll send the people in the photo back. They know magic. Surely they'll be smart enough to bring themselves back."

"But what if they can't?" Percy asked, his eyes in their usual state of dilation. "What if they're stuck back in time because of something we did, and then everything is ruined and we get in big trouble?"

"You always have to be a wet blanket, don't you, Percy?" Steve asked the dark-haired boy irritably. "If it gets that bad, we'll deal with it, but now, let's not. For all we know, I could do a damn good job with the spell, who knows? And if they, as adults with experience, aren't smart enough to get back to the present after being zapped away by a boy who has far less experience with this than they do, that's not really my fault, is it?"

"Okay, okay," John told him. "Now that we've analyzed the crap out of the possible repercussions, now how do we actually do this? Do you have a plan, or have you not thought beyond the initial idea?"

"Well, I thought that since you'd both be helping me with this, we could all make the plan," Steve replied. "Isn't that a good idea?"

John scoffed. "In other words, if you get taken down, you want us to go down with you. That's it, isn't it?"

"Well, it wouldn't be fair for me to just go alone, would it?" Steve asked.

"No, it wouldn't, I guess," John said. "But before we do this, can I just say you're a real bastard?"

"Sure, go ahead," Steve grinned, gazing at the picture again. "It's not like it's going to change anything."

* * *

"Hello, James," Helene smiled as he strode through her door and looked at her with surprise.

"Hello!" He replied and came over to the desk, pulling up a seat to sit down. "Are you working here too now?"

"Not permanently," Helene replied. "But Mom thinks it would be good to have a backup in case something goes wrong, or she becomes indisposed or something. So she's training me."

"Ah," James nodded. "All right. If a blond boy with sunken eyes comes running in here, just send him back to me, okay? He's my intern."

"I know," Helene nodded. "Liam told us about him. He seems like handful."

"He's not so bad, really," James replied. "Not after Henry and Monster. Gives me a little excitement in my day, if nothing else."

There was another knock and Max, who had been promoted to James' work assistant and not just his house servant, poked his head in. "The boy's escaped again," he said.

James sighed and stood up, giving Helene a wave. "You think if I let him kill someone, he'd stay put?" He asked as Max closed the door.

"I really couldn't say," Max replied. "But I know what your wife would think if you just began killing people, or allowing murders. She wouldn't like it. And neither would Astrid."

"Oh, even though she won't admit it, Astrid condones a murder every once in a while," James replied. "She knows that my reputation as a savage, scary killer is one of the things that keeps people in line, and if that got wrecked, she would have a lot of unnecessary trouble on her hands."

"All right," Max nodded. "I'm sure it's not my place to contradict you. Should we go and catch the boy?"

"Yes," James nodded. "We should. He's up to something. Something not good. As a rat myself, I can recognize shifty behavior when I see it."

They left and then Helene just waited and played with the stuff on her mother's desk, also sneaking some of the life savers and lemon drops she had in her desk drawer to stimulate her thinking.

When Astrid returned, she quickly shut the drawer, although, with her cheeks full of candy, it was obvious what she'd been up to.

"Don't eat too many of those," Astrid told her with a smile on her face. "I don't want you to choke."

"Uh-huh," Helene nodded, getting out of the chair and offering it to her mother.

Astrid sat down and waited for Helene to spit out the extra candy, and then when she only had one in her mouth, asked "Anything happen while I was gone? Thanks for watching the desk for me."

"No problem," Helene replied. "What would you like me to do now?"

"Well, why don't you go and read some of the old court cases in the file room?" Astrid suggested. "It'll give you an idea of the sort of problems we deal with and how they were solved. Plus, they're really interesting reading. But be careful when you get to the one with James. It's a bit intense and I don't want you to have nightmares."

"All right," Helene told her and saluted. "I'll watch out for that."

* * *

"I'm so glad you stopped by, Lissy," Klaus told Felicity as he gave her a hug. "I've missed you, young lady. How come you never call?"

"Because your best friend the hermit hates people," Felicity said dryly. "So now that he's dealing with this thing with his mom and his brother, I'm gonna stay away from him and me and Aunt Lucy are going to hang out."

"Lucy," Klaus said. "Do you know how long it's been since I've seen her? Where is she now?"

"At your brother's, hanging out with him and Grandma," Felicity replied. "You want me to tell her you wanna see her?"

"Sure," Klaus nodded. "That would be nice. I have to wonder if she forgets that she's _my_ daughter and not my brother's."

"Oh, I'm sure she doesn't," Felicity assured him. "It's just that she spends so much time around a guy who needs her to run his life that maybe she wants a break from that."

"I don't need her to run my life!" Klaus defended himself. "That's what I have Amy for! Among other things, anyway."

"My ears are burning!" Amy called as she came through the door after work. "What are you two talking about?"

"How I can get Lucy to come and visit me," Klaus replied. "Do you think you'd like to have her come over?"

"Sure," Amy nodded.

"Speaking of people coming over," Felicity told her, "thank you for letting me come and stay here in spite of our past history. Not everyone would let someone who horribly tortured their parents back into their lives."

"Yes, well, it was a shock when you first did it, but…it's been long enough now that I've adjusted," Amy told her. "It's not like you didn't suffer any consequences for what you did."

"That's true," Felicity nodded. "I don't have any magic anymore. Haven't for years."

"I don't really miss my parents all that much to tell you the truth," Amy said. "They wrote me off when your grandfather and I got together and by the time you tortured them, I don't know how long it had been since I'd seen them last."

"Well, there you go," Felicity smiled.

There was another knock on the door and Stefan stomped in without so much as a 'Hello' to Amy.

"Are you working through that mess with your brother?" Felicity asked. "Have you gotten anywhere?"

"What do you think?" Stefan asked irritably. "There's no talking to Damon at all." He then turned to Amy. "Can Lissy and I have a room?"

"No, you and I are not getting a room," Felicity said firmly. "You are going to work on this thing with your brother until it's fixed. If my grandfather wants to take you out, that's one thing, but I'm not gonna be a distraction for you."

"What happened to you, Lissy?" Stefan asked. "You used to be so fun! It's Lucy's fault, isn't it? She's rubbing off on you!"

"Maybe," Felicity said firmly. "And that might not be a bad thing."

"What have I done to make you act this way?" Stefan wanted to know.

"I want to see people and the world!" Felicity got out. "We've been hermits in the boardinghouse for years! I need air! It's a testament to how fond I am about you that I didn't kill you _years_ ago!" She growled in frustration and stomped off, leaving Klaus and Stefan staring at each other.

"You wanna go out?" Stefan asked after a bit. "Just you and me? It's been a while."

"Yes, it has," Klaus nodded. "Would you mind if Amy came along too?"

"Why would she want to?" Stefan wanted to know. "She doesn't hunt!"

"Actually, yes I do, now," Amy told him. "But I…I don't want to interrupt your bonding time, so you two go and have fun."

"Are you sure?" Klaus asked. "Come with us, please."

"I'm sure," Amy replied, noting Stefan's look, which clearly said 'Stay away'.

Klaus and Stefan went off on their own then, leaving Amy home by herself. She put a load of towels in the dryer and then called Alistair to see if he wanted to come over for tea and a chat. She'd always thought of him as a kindred spirit, and she knew he felt the same. She made up sandwiches, tea, and coffee, and when Alistair arrived, they talked a bit, and Amy warned him about Stefan coming, and how they'd have to be on their guard about her husband until Stefan left.

"It's good you told me," Alistair said to her. "Cause while Klaus is capable of being his own bad influence, somehow, he and Stefan together are even worse, if that's possible."

"Oh, it can't be possible," Amy said. "I mean, I think the last time Stefan was here, we got through it all right."

"Oh, it's possible," Alistair assured her and went to get some alcohol to put in his coffee. "I know you don't want to hear that, but it is."


	3. Lost In Time

"I can't believe you're having to go through all this," Klaus told Malachai sympathetically as he, Malachai, and Stefan hung out at Roxie's and he kept buying his friend drinks. "What's so hard about letting you see Sarah?"

"I don't know!" Malachai said, his voice full of exasperation. "I'm not a bad person. I don't know why Sarah's father sees me as a rival. Maybe it's nothing I did. Maybe he's just nuts!"

Stefan watched them and then tapped on the bar to get Roxie's attention. "More alcohol, please," he requested. "I don't know if I can listen to this drivel anymore, or why I even bothered coming."

"Cause you knew you'd get alcohol whether Daddy paid attention to you or not," Roxie smiled and set the bottle of bourbon that she'd poured his previous glasses from down in front of him as they both watched Klaus and Malachai. "Here, have as much as you want," she offered. "It seems like this is gonna take a while."

"Thanks," Stefan grinned. "You know, at this point, I really like you more than your sister."

"Oh?" Roxie raised an eyebrow. "Things not going so well between you and Felicity?"

"Well, I wouldn't quite go that far," Stefan told her. "It's more of a problem with my brother more than with your sister. Our mother has apparently gone traveling as a way to spend her afterlife, and now she's haunting a strange guy's apartment."

"And why is that a problem?" Roxie wanted to know. "It's not like he's gonna kill her or anything."

"That's what everyone says!" Stefan told her. "I mean, I'm not as worked up about it as Damon is, cause he was the one who was closer to our mother, but it is so annoying to listen to him whine all the time. But Lucy has convinced Felicity that that's what needs to happen since this is apparently a family problem that they have nothing to do with. I swear, I have no idea what I see attractive about Lissy since all she does is make me miserable."

"You mean she makes you miserable when she's insisting you do stuff you don't like," Roxie corrected. "Like now."

"Exactly!" Stefan nodded. "We were happy by ourselves at the boardinghouse. Why'd she have to insist I come here?"

Roxie shrugged. "Don't look at me. I can't tell you what goes on in my niece's head. Just be lucky she doesn't have her powers anymore. If she did, you'd really hate her, probably."

"Yeah," Stefan nodded and poured himself a few more glasses, drinking until he could barely stand before telling Klaus, "I'm going upstairs. You talking to your other friend bores me so…goodbye."

He tried to walk away, but fell down after a couple of steps, just giving up and falling asleep right there on the bar floor.

Roxie watched him and clicked her teeth a couple of times. "I think you hurt his feelings," She told her father before calling for her husband.

"What's going on?" Vince asked.

"Well, we got someone passed out," Roxie told him. "You think you can get him upstairs?"

"Sure," Vince nodded, flexing his muscles and kissing Roxie briefly before throwing the unconscious Stefan over his shoulder and bringing him up to the second floor of the bar where the beds were. "Not a problem at all."

"Thanks!" Roxie called after him. "I appreciate it. Now," she went over to her father and Malachai. "Daddy, what is so important that you're ignoring one of your oldest friends?"

"Malachai here is in the middle of a court battle," Klaus explained. "Your crazy maternal grandfather tried to shoot him because he was upset that his daughter and Malachai were bonding."

"Yeah, I heard about that from Mom," Roxie nodded. "She came in here and told me what happened after she got back from Grandpa kidnapping her. So he likes Sarah again?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded, "And he's guarding her pretty closely cause he feels threatened that I was able to father Sarah and he can't father anyone. And the only reason why I want to bond with her in the first place is because she's got magic, her parents don't, and they have yet to come up with a sensible solution to deal with that. Letting me into Sarah's life to help would be the best thing, but they're being stubborn. And that's why we're going to court."

"You got a good lawyer?" Roxie asked.

"No, but Astrid's nice daughter offered to help me find one," Malachai replied. "I'm not worried at all." He then said, "Now that we've talked about that, we can move onto something else. Something more pleasant. Like that friend of yours: how did you meet him?"

"It's a fun story," Klaus replied. "He was a wild partier, I was a wild partier…for a few years, we were brothers in arms, killing when we could and not giving a damn about the consequences. He's a wicked man when he's not moping. What you saw today is not typical behavior from him."

"Yeah," Roxie nodded. "His brother is causing him stress, and apparently, Felicity is not helping ease that. You wanna take pity on him and bring him home for a bit? Have Amy give him the stuff she gives you when you're hungover? I think that would be nice."

"All right," Klaus nodded. "I suppose I deserve that for ignoring him.

"Do you need help carrying him?" Malachai wanted to know.

Klaus consented, and the next time she saw the two men, they were carrying Stefan out of the bar and taking him home to rest.

* * *

"You seem chipper today," Astrid remarked to James.

"Of course I do," James replied. "I've got back-up."

"Why do you need back-up?" Astrid wanted to know. "If Steve's really that bothersome to you, I'll move him somewhere else."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," James' wife Lenora assured her grandmother. "It makes for good bonding time for us as a family."

"'Family'?" Astrid repeated.

A few seconds later, she heard bickering and then two brown-haired, blue-eyed people appeared. James and Lenora's son and daughter, Henry and Susanna.

"Okay," James sighed. "What's all the fighting about?"

"She wanted to torture some of the people but I told her it was too early and we should wait until you say it's all right," Henry explained.

"And then I said that I wasn't sure why we were waiting, since they're bad people," Susanna told her father. "Who's right?"

"Technically, the torture part isn't my area anymore and you'll have to talk to Luke about that," James told his daughter. "I just bring 'em in. But given how bloodthirsty he is, I'm sure if you asked him if you could help, he would let you."

"All right," Susanna nodded and strode off. "I will."

"Do you really think it's a good idea to encourage that sort of behavior in her, Dad?" Henry asked his father, his voice full of concern."

"Oh, I think by now you and I both know that behavior like that in your sister is just how she is," James replied. "She's blood-thirsty and dark and there's nothing we can do to stop it. The best thing we can do is put it to good use and hope that's enough to keep it restrained so that it doesn't get out of control."

"And what better way to let her do it than this?" Lenora asked.

Meanwhile, Amy and Helene were looking at old photo albums in Amy's office.

"You miss the old times?" Helene wanted to know. "Do you wish someone would do a spell on you so that you could go back?"

"I don't think it would do any good," Amy told her. "Hasn't your father told you anything about them? There are a few kinds of time travel spells and the ones that are the safest don't really allow you to truly relieve the moments so the time-space continuum isn't screwed up."

"What about ones that _aren't_ the safest?" Helene asked. "I mean, I've heard Daddy talk about them for sure. He's insane about being cautious when it comes to time travel. He puts some sort of spell on himself every day so on off chance he gets sent back in time, nothing bad will happen to him."

"Well, the worst case scenario is getting sent back by someone who has no idea what they're doing. Then you wind up with no memory and have to wait until you remember that you're supposed to be in the future (if you ever do), and meanwhile, you have a high likelihood of screwing up what's already happened. That's not a good thing!" Amy told her.

"Which is why you're so nervous about Steve and the other boys messing with the time travel spell."

"Yep," Amy nodded. "Especially because I found that one of the pictures from my album is missing. One with me in it. I think that's the one the boys might be using as part of their spell, meaning I would be one of the people who went back when it was cast. I don't want that."

"It'll be okay," Helene assured her. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it and get you back. I promise."

* * *

When the Council business had ended for the day, Steve, John, and Percy hid where they wouldn't be found and ordered to go home. When they were absolutely positive that the building was empty, they headed to Astrid's office, turning on her desk lamp, and, after setting down the picture that they'd taken from Amy (along with a few other photos so they could send back everyone they wanted) and, after opening the spellbook, Steve began muttering the spell, growling in annoyance when Percy stopped him.

"Are you really sure we should do this?" He asked. "Cause once you do, there's no going back."

"Of course we should do this!" Steve told him impatiently. "If you don't want any part in it, fine. You can go home and when we're found out, you won't be blamed. But really, all we're trying to do is educate ourselves."

"No, you're trying to cause trouble!" Percy told him. "And you're right: I don't want any part of it!" He zapped himself away and then Steve turned back to the spellbook. "Good, now that he's gone, we can actually get something done." Then he paused and looked at John. "Unless you think I'm wrong and would like to go too."

"No," John shook his head. "I'm all right. I'll stay."

"Good," Steve replied, and together, he and John cast the time travel spell. When it was over, they just stared at one another.

"Do you think it worked?" John asked. Since the effects of the spell were happening to other people, there was no way for them to know immediately if they'd had success."

"I'll choose to be optimistic and say that it did," Steve smiled. Then, they heard the security guard come in for his evening rounds, so they disappeared before they were caught, ready to come into work the next morning.

* * *

The same could not be said about the people in the photos, however. The next morning, Amy, Klaus, Astrid, and Alistair woke up in a carriage moving down a bumpy road. A few minutes of conversation helped Alistair ascertain that none of his companions had any idea who they were. He then leaned his head out the carriage window and asked the driver, "Excuse me, what year is it?"

"1896," the man responded. "Why do you ask? Are you ill?"

"No," Alistair said as he leaned back inside and tried to settle into his seat. He instinctively grabbed for Astrid's hand, but instead of thanking him for comforting her, she slapped him.

"Great," he said to himself as he rubbed his reddening cheek, wishing now that he hadn't put that spell on himself so that he'd keep his memory in cases such as this when the usual (but not definite) result with improperly cast time travel spells was that people lost their memories so he'd be as clueless as everyone else in the carriage. "This is just wonderful."


	4. Winning Half The Battle

Helene ended the call and growled in frustration as she put her phone down and pulled into Selina and Elijah's driveway.

"What's going on?" Elijah asked when he answered the door. "Are you all right?"

She gave him a long look and then began sniffling as she put her arms around him. "My parents are missing!" She cried. "I have no idea where they are and every time I call, no one answers! Mom trained me to watch over the council if something happened to her, but I wasn't planning for her to be gone this soon!"

"Oh, darling," Elijah told her as he invited her inside and sat her down on the sofa. "I'm sure there's a good reason for what's happening. I know both your parents and it just doesn't make sense that they would go off and disappear without saying anything to you."

"Yeah," Helene sniffled, trying to keep a grip on her shaking teacup. "That probably means something really bad happened to them!"

"Now, you don't know that for sure," Elijah said, placing a hand on her arm, which was covered by a red crochet sweater. "There could be some perfectly innocent reason they're not answering you. For all you know, they could show up at the door right now and tell you what a big joke they were making!"

"No," Helene shook her head and tried to drink her tea, but her aim was so off-kilter that it missed her mouth completely and dribbled onto her sweater instead.

"Oops," she said apologetically. "Sorry."

"No, it's all right," Elijah told her. "I'll get you a towel to wipe that up with. It'll be all right."

But by the time he'd returned with the towel, Helene had already cleaned herself up with magic. "Do you really think my parents and Klaus and Amy are all right, wherever they are?" She wanted to know. "If I just knew their location, that would be better than knowing nothing at all."

"And how do you go about finding that information?" Elijah asked. "There _is_ a way to, isn't there?"

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "I don't know how, though. If Mom and Dad were here, I would ask them, but then I wouldn't need to do it in the first place, so…" She put her teacup down and Elijah took the handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. "This is going to be all right," he told her. "We'll figure it all out together. I've got a brother to find, after all."

"Yeah, you do," Helene nodded. Then she cracked a small smile. "Unless you'd like to look at this as well-deserved time away from him."

"Yes, I suppose I could," Elijah nodded. "But it's not only him that's missing, is it? It's your parents, my brother, and Amy."

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "Exactly."

"Well, I can't, in good conscience, let Amy be stuck where she is," Elijah said. "So we'll just save everyone at once. When we find a way to, that is."

"And I don't think there can be any more time to waste," Helene proclaimed as she stood up, suddenly feeling much more determined than she had when she'd first arrived at Selina and Elijah's house. "I'll ask around at work tomorrow. Mom had to have told someone there something, even if she didn't tell me."

"There you go!" Elijah smiled encouragingly. "That's the spirit!"

* * *

The next day, Helene was going through all her notes and phone calls, trying to figure out if there was something her mother _had_ told her, but that she'd missed. Finally, she had to resign herself to the fact that her parents were, for the moment, gone, and she knew nothing about where. She was hitting her head repeatedly against her desk to combat the frustration she was feeling when all of a sudden, she heard a voice cry out, "Hey, hey, hey!"

She looked up and saw James' son Henry looking at her with concern. "I won't ask if you're okay," he said. "Your parents being gone has to be hard for you."

"Yeah," Helene nodded and put a hand on her head. "It kind of is. I guess hurting myself isn't the best way to deal with it, huh?"

"Well, whatever," Henry shrugged. "Are you busy? Can I sit?"

"Oh, go ahead," Helene said and indicated the chair in the corner of the room, which he dragged over and sat down on.

"I have something you should know," he said. "It's about where your mother is."

Helene threw herself forward. "You know where she is?" She grabbed Henry's collar. "Tell me!"

"You aren't gonna like it," Henry told her. "Are you sure you want me to tell you?"

"Yes!" Helene nodded. "Not knowing where my parents are is driving me crazy with worry."

"All right," Henry said, tousling his dark hair, clearing his throat, and sitting back in his chair. "Dad was teaching that Steve guy some of the ropes like usual, and the conversation turned to where your mother had gone. And Steve said that he knew where she was and that he was responsible."

"Where did she go?" Helene asked.

"He sent her back in time along with your dad, Grandpa, and Grandma," Henry replied. "I don't know exactly when, cause Steve refuses to hand over the picture, but at least you have a general idea of where they are, so you don't have to spend all your time wondering."

"That's true," Helene nodded. "And Dad will get them out. He protects himself from this sort of thing all the time. I used to think it was silly, but now I'm glad. Thank you so much for telling me."

"You're welcome," Henry replied and zapped her up a coffee. "I just didn't want you to worry anymore."

"And now I'm not," Helene told him. "Thanks to you. And thanks for the coffee. I needed it."

"You're welcome, Grandma," Henry told her. "If you need anything else, just let me know."

Helene peered out the door and saw Malachai coming toward her office. "I think I'll be fine," she told him with a smile. "But thanks anyway."

* * *

After Astrid slapping him in the carriage, Alistair decided that the first person he should try and bring back to themselves was Klaus. He tried to think about the places Klaus could be. He finally found him by chance at a bar one night, surrounded by scantily clad and heavily made up women, fighting for a spot on his lap and giggling as he ordered them a round of drinks.

"I could make you all famous," he said, his voice slurring a little. "Spend a little time posing for me and I'll make it well worth your time."

"Are you sure, darling?" One of them, a brunette with too much rouge on said. "You're not the first man to tell me that."

"Oh, yes," Klaus nodded and locked eyes with her as he ran a hand up her thigh. "I can show you when we're done here. Can I get you another drink?"

"Sure," She nodded. "I already spent everything I got from last night's tussle anyway."

"For the love of god," Alistair whispered. "What a mess he's making of himself." It took everything he had not to go over to Klaus and break up the party. Instead, he just stayed and watched as Klaus made his way out of the bar, the girls following him.

Once he was gone, Alistair got a quick drink and headed out, running into Klaus, who was just standing outside the bar door. "Sorry," he apologized. "Didn't see you standing there."

"Oh, but I certainly saw you," Klaus remarked. "Is there something about me that you find interesting? You were watching me and you didn't even blink."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that," Alistair apologized. "You just…you remind me of someone. An old friend of mine."

"Well, how nice," Klaus remarked. "I suppose if you wanted, you could come to my house with me. I've convinced the girls to stay the night and I can't possibly handle all of them by myself."

"Why me?" Alistair asked. "You barely know me."

"I have my reasons," Klaus replied, showing his teeth. "Do you have anywhere else to stay?"

"Nowhere good," Alistair replied darkly. The boardinghouse he'd taken residence in lacked plumbing and his landlady didn't even believe in gas lighting because she'd lost a husband to asphyxiation, so just being around gas made her skittish. Even though it was a roof over his head, that was almost too much for Alistair. He didn't realize how much he'd missed modern conveniences like electricity until he didn't have them anymore.

"Well, would you like to stay with me, then?" Klaus asked. "I had another carriage send the girls ahead. They're waiting for me at home."

Alistair just stared at him. Surely Klaus wasn't remembering him already. That wasn't how things like this worked. But just to be sure, as they made their way to Klaus' carriage and his waiting driver while trying to see through the fog, Alistair asked, "You wouldn't happen to know who I am, do you?"

"No," Klaus shook his head. "Not unless you've introduced yourself, which you haven't. And if you don't even know who you are, I certainly won't be able to help you."

"Right," Alistair nodded and stuck out his hand. "Alistair Fale, at your service."

"Klaus Mikaelson," Klaus replied, shaking his hand as they reached the cab and he gestured for Alistair to precede him.

"Thank you," Alistair told him quickly. He climbed in and Klaus followed him after. They rode along the bumpy, unpaved roads for a bit, and Alistair felt so uncomfortable that he wished passionately for his car back in the present.

He was extremely relieved when they pulled in front of a house that Alistair recognized as one he and Klaus had spent a lot of time in before.

They got out and were met by the horde of girls Klaus had promised, and one of them took a liking to Alistair immediately. She was blonde and had big blue eyes, as well as an ample bosom that was very visible.

"Aren't you just adorable!" She cried, crushing him against herself. Then she looked at Klaus. "You wouldn't mind if I took this one, would you, dear?" She asked him.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to him a bit first," Klaus told her. "You go wait with the other girls and I'll be with you in a minute."

The woman pouted, but released Alistair, who was struggling to breathe.

"Thank you," he got out to Klaus between coughs. "I'm sure she's a lovely woman, but…not really my type."

"I remember you from the carriage a few days ago," Klaus told him. "How you tried to embrace the woman sitting next to you. She didn't take too kindly to it, though."

"Well, she wouldn't," Alistair replied. "She…she reminds me of someone too. It's hard to explain. I won't bore you with the details."

"I have just the thing to cheer you up," Klaus replied. He took him into the library and asked a smartly dressed man to get them a drink. He brought some wine and poured it in two glasses.

"Don't you think you've had enough tonight?" Alistair asked.

"Oh, it's not that much!" Klaus told him. "Come on!"

"All right," Alistair sighed. "I might have just a little one."

But soon, Alistair had consumed enough that things in the room were beginning to spin. He got up and felt himself start to fall, but Klaus grabbed him before he hit the floor. Then, he stared up into Klaus' blue eyes for a few seconds before Klaus ripped his shirt open to expose his neck and sank his fangs in. Alistair struggled for a few seconds and then was able to clamp his hand around Klaus' arm. He began to scream and cry out, dropping Alistair to the floor and swearing loudly.

"Just what the hell are you?" He asked.

"I'm a warlock," Alistair replied, struggling to sit up. "And now that you've had your fill, don't you think it would be good not to keep those girls waiting any longer?"

Klaus glared at him then as Alistair stared fearlessly back, wiped his mouth off, and then strode out of the library, ordering the same well-dressed manservant to get his friend a bed for the night.


	5. Finding A New Home

Although it was nice (in a sense) to be in familiar surroundings, Alistair was still very confused about why Klaus had let him stay after what had just happened between them.

"It isn't because you…like me, is it?" He asked Klaus. "I mean, all those women, were you interested in them as bedmates or merely art subjects?"

"Well, it just depends on my mood, really," Klaus told him. "But in your case…you're a warlock, aren't you?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "After what just happened between us, I think it would be an obvious thing."

"I think I could use a warlock," Klaus told him. "I have lots of enemies and it would be nice to have a little help. Are you interested?"

"Well…sure!" Alistair replied, glad that it had ended up like this for him. It would be much easier to bring him back to himself if it seemed like Klaus was remembering him already. "But if I'm going to help you, I just have one request."

"Oh?" Klaus asked. "And what's that?"

"Don't bite me anymore," Alistair replied.

"Oh, all right," Klaus sighed. "You didn't particularly look like you were enjoying yourself anyway."

"Well, who enjoys being hurt?" Alistair asked. Then he thought about Selina and said, "Never mind. Do I get a room of my own?"

"Interesting," Klaus said, smirking a little. "You didn't seem like the sort of person who would accept an invitation like the one I just gave you without asking for some sort of credentials."

"It's hard to explain why I don't need any, but I don't," Alistair told him. "Now, do you want me to stay, or not?"

"Yes," Klaus said quickly. "I do. What's your name again?"

"Alistair," Alistair replied, feeling silly for forgetting to tell Klaus his name. "And don't worry, I already know yours."

"One of those magical people with precognition?" Klaus asked knowingly. "is that what you are?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "I suppose you could say that. And you can put me anywhere. I'm not picky."

So the manservant set Alistair up with a room and then he tried to think about what to do next, how to next get Klaus to remember him or anything about the real world at all. And as difficult as that would be, he was glad to at least be in a place where he would have Klaus' undivided attention while he did it.

But as he soon discovered, it wouldn't be as easy as all that. He'd forgotten that in the nineteenth century, Klaus had had with him a companion who was even _more_ troublesome than Stefan had been in the twenties: his brother, Kol.

"Hello, Nik," Kol said as he swaggered into the dining room. He was covered in blood and smirking, two things not out of the ordinary for him. "Anything interesting happen while I was out?"

"Well, we got a new housemate," Klaus told him and introduced Alistair. "He's a warlock. I thought we could use him."

"Oh, _seriously,_ brother?" Kol asked. "I've brought you several of the witches I spend time around so you could bring them on as help and you reject them all. What's so different about this one?"

"The difference is that you won't distract him by trying to flirt with him!" Klaus said. "It doesn't do me a lot of good to hire someone to work for me if you're always distracting them."

"Oh, all right," Kol nodded. "I suppose you have a point. Thanks to what happened between me and Mathilde, I've always had a fascination with witches. I just hope that I never run into anyone from her family again. Think about what a nightmare that would be. I don't think I could handle it."

This, of course, made Alistair chuckle, as both Kol's own wife Margot, and Klaus' wife Amy in the present, were descended from the witch that had cursed Kol to always be connected to magicalkind.

"What so funny?" Kol asked.

"Nothing," Alistair replied quickly. "I was just thinking about an amusing joke I heard on my carriage ride earlier today. I certainly wasn't laughing about the misfortune that you endured after you made the mistake of making a fool of a woman you professed to care about."

"How does he know that?" Kol asked Klaus. "It seems like he knows more than he's telling."

"You know that all magical people have some ability to know the future, even if they don't use it," Klaus told him. "That's all it is. Don't lose your head."

"Oh, don't worry, brother," Kol assured him. "It would take more than just some laughter from the help to do that." He stalked off and then Klaus looked at Alistair.

"You'll have to excuse my brother," he said. "Talking about his defeat at the hands of Mathilde always touches a nerve with him." He smirked. "I can't imagine why."

"Oh, it's all right," Alistair said. "I've spent a lot of time with men like him. It takes more than one disrespectful remark to bother me." He paused. "So…what do we do now?"

"Well, actually I have theatre tickets," Klaus told him. "For some reason, I got an extra one. It's almost like I knew you were coming. Would you like to join me?"

"That depends," Alistair said. "Is it normal theatre, or one of those awful Grand Guignol type things?"

"Well there you go being psychic again," Klaus said in amazement. "It's the latter."

"Oh, for love of god," Alistair sighed. "I can't go to those. They make me squeamish."

"Why?" Klaus asked. "It's not real blood, you realize that, right? It's all just pretend."

"I know that," Alistair assured him. "But still…"

"Just come with me," Klaus told him. "I've seen the show before. I'll tell you when to close your eyes."

"Fine," Alistair replied since Klaus' tone told him he wouldn't be allowed to stay at the house. "But it won't work. Even if I can't see anything, I'll still be able to hear the spurting and gurgling."

"Well, I'm sorry but I can't help you with everything," Klaus said.

"Oh, I know," Alistair nodded as they went outside, called for a hansom cab and rode to a small, derelict building made of dark brick. Klaus led Alistair to a secret door in the back of the building and then they went inside.

The place was indeed a theater, but it was dark and cramped, lit only by two oil lamps on either side of the proscenium stage, and Alistair couldn't help but shudder at the gargoyles holding candles that were placed around the room.

Klaus handed their tickets to the usher and then they made their way to their seats.

"You wouldn't have any alcohol on hand, would you?" Alistair asked. "I know you might think me terribly cowardly, but I believe it's the only way I'll be able to get through this."

"Yes," Klaus nodded and handed him a flask. "And when you've finished what's in there, I have a pouch with a few more bottles in it to fill the thing up again."

"All right," Alistair nodded before putting the flask up to his lips. "Thank you so much."

By the time the curtain went up for the first in a series of six plays in the performance, Alistair was already good and drunk, resting his head on Klaus' shoulder, and laughing and applauding at blood spurting and violence that would have rendered him unconscious if he'd been sober.

Klaus, of course, enjoyed himself immensely without the aid of alcohol. He'd seen this series of six plays several times and his favorite was the one where a man turned into a werewolf and brutally murdered his lover before taking revenge on the rest of the townsfolk without any sort of consequence whatsoever, along with the one where the two old mental asylum patients blinded a younger inmate with scissors because she was much prettier than they were.

Alistair was quite pleased when it was all over and he could get away from the noise and the gallons of red blood that covered the stage and actors. The last in the series of plays, where a nanny poisoned children in her care, brought especially loud cries of displeasure from the audience, which echoed loudly in his ears and made him have the worst headache.

"Why do people even go to those plays if all they're going to do is yell angrily?" He asked Klaus on the ride home, feeling genuinely curious.

"That's the point!" Klaus told him. "It's supposed to evoke a passionate response from the audience. That's what it's there for. You can't blame people for wanting a place where they can yell and scream and make a big to-do over things. That's not exactly accepted normally."

"That's true," Alistair admitted and then let out a cry as a bump in the unpaved road made him hit his head on the roof of the carriage. "How long until we get back to your house? I need to go lie down."

"I though you would after all you drank," Klaus chuckled. "It shouldn't be long. Don't worry."

* * *

It was good that Alistair went to bed the second he and Klaus arrived home because not long after, Kol arrived with a certain blonde witch in tow, whom Alistair would fight to the death to defend if he'd known she was in trouble. Kol had Astrid by the hair, and though she was, of course, fighting against him, he'd already bitten her once and looked to do it again just to ease his irritation.

"I found her wandering around the park," Kol explained. "Didn't have a place to live, poor thing. Doesn't even know who she is, either." He then let out a groan as Astrid kicked him and froze him with her magic.

"I may not know who I am or have a home, but I know how to fight," she said. She then looked over at Klaus. "Are you going to cause me trouble as well?"

"No," Klaus shook his head, a smirk on his lips. "I wouldn't dream of it. I know this might seem like a foolish question to ask someone who has no idea who they are, but…how do you think you could be as a nurse?"

"I suppose I wouldn't do too badly," she said. "Do you need someone to care for you?"

"Not me," Klaus shook his head. "But I've a friend who's imbibed too much. Would you like me to take you to him?"

"All right," Astrid nodded, quickly unfreezing Kol, who gave her a murderous glare and stalked away. "Let me see him." She followed Klaus up to Alistair's room and stood over him. "Oh, you poor man," she said, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "What have you done to yourself?"

The touch to his forehead made Alistair open his eyes part way. He saw who was standing over him, smiled, and mumbled, "Astrid?"

She smiled. "That's as good a name as any, I suppose," she said, helping him sit up. "I'll answer to that if that's what you want. Now go back to sleep, all right? I'll stay here with you."

"Good," Alistair replied and nodded off again as Astrid took a seat by his bed and watched over him while Klaus and Kol set out to get some hunting in before nightfall.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Roxie said to Adrian. "Dad is gone."

"Yep," Adrian nodded. "Dad is gone. Got sent back in time by some weasels who work at the Council."

"And we don't know how we're gonna get him back," Felicity added. "Him or Amy, or Alistair, or Astrid!"

"I could have worked on getting him back," Felicity sighed. "If I had my magic."

Stefan leaned across Adrian to grab Felicity's hand. "You know what else we could do if you had your magic?"

"Things that would show why it was good she got it taken away in the first place?" Adrian guessed.

"Hey, it's not like _you_ never did anything bad Mr. 'Take over an entire town and kill a bunch of witches'!" Felicity frowned at him. "Do you _really_ wanna play this game with me?"

"No," Adrian said quickly and asked his smirking sister for a drink. "No, I really don't."

"Don't look now, but here comes your girlfriend," Roxie said as Renee sauntered into the bar. "I wonder if she actually has a real home somewhere?"

"Well, if she doesn't, I can get her one," Adrian replied. "It's not like I don't have room."

"Isn't Helene still living at the house?" Roxie asked.

"Well, yes, but I'm sure she'll move out soon," Adrian said. He then strode off to meet Renee with his drink in hand and Felicity leaned against Stefan and told Roxie, "You know, it's a wonder that I, Liam, or Lenora exist at all. Do you think he and Mom ever really loved each other?"

"There was a time way before you were born that he did, I think," Roxie nodded. "Like when she died on their prom night, he was just torn apart. Or when he put her in the hospital after taking too much blood from her the first time they had sex. But once they married…once they married, something changed. Adrian realized that he'd not be your mother's whole world anymore and that just…that just took things to a place they couldn't come back from. This divorce really is the best thing for them, I think."

"Yeah," Felicity nodded, not remembering many good times between her parents. "Me too."


	6. Work On The Homefront

"Oh, my goodness," Alistair said, staying still when he saw Klaus put his coat on. "Don't tell me we're going to go to the theater again. I just…I won't do it."

"Actually, I was going to go sketch," Klaus told him. "You can come with me if you want. I think you could use the air."

"Oh, I suppose I will," Alistair replied. But he had to do something first. He made a flower appear, a white rose like Astrid liked, and went up to his room where she was stripping the bed.

"Excuse me," he said to her. "Klaus and I are going out, but before we do, I want to give you this."

"How did you know I liked white roses?" Astrid smiled. "Aren't you sweet!" She even gave him a kiss and then he and Klaus headed out.

When they reached the park, Klaus began sketching. Then he heard someone call out. His sketch was messed up as a dog sped toward them, followed by a red-haired woman in pursuit of it. Klaus grabbed the small black dog, preparing to hand it to the woman. He looked around and watched her plunge into the pond. He handed the dog to Alistair, removed his coat, jumped in the water, and helped the woman out of the pond, and the dog too.

"Thank you," she said as he fished her hat out and handed it to her. "That was very sweet of you. "I'm Amy."

"Klaus," he said, kissing her hand. He opened his mouth to ask her out, but then someone called her name.

"Excuse me," she said quickly. "My fiancé is calling. "I have to go." She ran toward the dark-haired man and Klaus expected them just to go, but a few minutes later, she brought him over. "Jonathan," she said, "This is Klaus. He saved me when I fell in the water. And Spot too."

The little brown dog gave a bark and shook himself out as Jonathan reached out to shake Klaus' hand. "Thank you so much for looking after my fiancée," he told him. "I'm very much indebted to you."

"It's no trouble at all," Klaus told him. "I was very pleased to do it. She's a beautiful woman."

"She is, isn't she?" Jonathan wanted to know, holding onto Amy's hand tightly. Then, to Klaus's surprise, he reached into the pocket of his coat and took out a card, which he handed to him. "I'd like to thank you for what you did. That card has my address on it. Come by tomorrow and we'll have a drink. You can bring a guest too, if you'd like."

"All right," Klaus nodded. "Thank you. See you then." He told the pair goodbye and then headed back to Alistair.

"I just saved a beautiful woman," He said as Alistair put an arm around him and helped him sit down on a bench. "Her name's Amy. She has beautiful red hair and big blue eyes. And she's got a fiancé too, but I'm sure we can work around that. When we go to see them tomorrow, we can put our plan into action."

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Alistair sighed. "You can't go around stealing other people's fiancees! We've been through this before! It's not allowed!"

Klaus gave him a look. "I don't know what you mean. I've only shown interest in one man's wife…that you know of. You're not jealous, are you?"

"No!" Alistair replied impatiently. "I have no interest in you or any other man!"

"Well, then who _do_ you like?" Klaus questioned. "That pretty nurse you call Astrid?"

"I call her Astrid because that's her name," Alistair said impatiently.

"I think you should tell her," Klaus grinned. "As she has amnesia, I'm sure she'd be glad to know something about herself."

Alistair rolled his eyes. "Are you done with your picture? I'd like to go home."

"Go home then," Klaus shrugged. "I'm perfectly capable of drawing outside by myself."

"All right," Alistair told him. "I'm going."

* * *

When he reached the house, the first person he saw was Astrid. "Hello," she greeted him. "It's nice to see you on your feet. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you," Alistair smiled at her. "Thank you for taking care of me. I promise not to drink so much in the future so you don't have to do it again."

"Well, I have to agree about the drinking," Astrid told him. "I really don't think ingesting that much alcohol so often is a good idea, but if I'm going to be honest, I enjoyed taking care of you. It made me really happy to be at the bedside of such a handsome man."

"Awww," Alistair smiled. "You're beautiful too."

"Where's Klaus?" Astrid asked, sitting down at the table.

"I left him at the park," Alistair replied. "He set his sights on a woman and I just…I can't say that I'm not upset about that."

"I can see why you would be," Astrid nodded earnestly. "I assume I'd feel the same way if I lost a man I liked to someone else. And when I called you handsome, I meant it purely in an aesthetic sense. I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Alistair cried, trying not to sound too impatient because this wasn't the future where he and Astrid were secure in their relationship. "I don't have any interest in Klaus, at least not romantically."

"Well then why are you upset that he's interested in a woman?" Astrid wanted to know.

"Because the woman has a fiancé," Alistair told her. "And I have a feeling that it won't end well for anyone if he tries to pursue her."

"Oh," Astrid nodded. "All right." She then made a small rose appear and handed it to him. "For your buttonhole," she said, blushing a little. "I think I'm doing well with my powers, even though I've only known about them for a couple of days."

"Yes," Alistair nodded and tucked the white rose into his buttonhole. He sat down at the kitchen table and sighed. "We're supposed to see the woman and her fiancé tomorrow as a way of thanks for Klaus' rescue. I'm really nervous about it."

"It'll be all right," Astrid said, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You'll do all right. I have faith in you."

* * *

"Well, welcome!" Amy greeted Alistair and Klaus when they showed up at Jonathan's house the next day. "It's so lovely to see you."

"Lovely to see you too," Klaus told her. "I'm very pleased to see you've recovered."

"Thank you," Amy nodded. "It takes more than just a tumble in some water to truly frighten me."

Klaus then offered Amy his arm. "May I escort you to the table?"

"Well, aren't you sweet?" Amy smiled. "I would appreciate that."

Alistair rolled his eyes behind Klaus and Amy's backs and when they reached the table, which was spread out with lunch and expensive red and white wines, Klaus pulled out Amy's chair so she could sit down and then Alistair came and pulled him over so they could sit together.

"What are you doing?" Klaus whispered angrily. "I want to sit next to Amy!"

"She's engaged," Alistair whispered firmly. "Let her sit next to her fiancé!"

But his say was challenged when Jonathan came in and saw them. "What are you doing sitting over there?" He asked Klaus. "As the guest of honor, you should have the seat at the head of the table between Amy and me."

"All right!" Klaus told him agreeably and took the seat Jonathan indicated. "I just didn't want to come between you and your fiancé, cause that would be rude."

"That's very kind of you, but I don't think you need to worry," Jonathan told him. "Wine?"

"Of course!" Klaus smiled and held out his glass as he reached for a sandwich. "Red, please. I don't care what kind."

He was reasonably well-behaved until it was time for them to go home and he said goodbye to Amy by giving her a hug and kissing both her cheeks.

Alistair expected Jonathan to be upset about this, but the man was clearly still oblivious to the fact that his new friend was trying to steal his fiancée right out from under him.

"Could you have been more obvious?" He asked as they made their way back to the carriage so they could ride home. "What was that display toward Amy all about? What happened to gentlemanly behavior?"

"Oh, Alistair!" Klaus smiled. "I didn't do anything that she objected to. Why are you fussing so much?"

"I'm trying to teach you right from wrong!" Alistair said irritably.

"Surely you can think of better things to do with your life than that," Klaus told him as they rode away. "Like spending time with that Astrid. Maybe marrying her and fathering her children. You can sire a bunch of tightly wound, serious children just like you."

"I can't do that," Alistair told him. "I can't pay attention to you and small children at the same time. Imagine what they'd be like. They'd be a complete mess!"

"It won't be that bad," Klaus told him. "I think you're being much too hard on yourself."

* * *

While Klaus' children with Selina were well aware of how Klaus and Amy were missing, most of Klaus and Amy's own children weren't as concerned as they should have been.

"They're _missing_?" Savannah said when she heard it from Jonathan, who heard it from Liam. She was sitting in her and Jonathan's living room with her sisters. "And everyone is making a big fuss? I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Mom and Dad probably just went on vacation. Let's just let them do what they're doing. I'm sure they'll come back when they're ready."

"I would have thought you'd be more concerned, at least for your mother," Jonathan told her. "We're dealing with a time travel mishap here. The interns at the council confessed what they did and told everyone exactly what happened."

"Is there anything we can do?" Vivi asked. "I can't just sit here and wait for them to return. Who knows what could happen to them in the meantime? Who knows what sort of time travel spell the boys cast? So many things factor into it, you know. Intent, power, competence of the caster. You can have time travel where people remember who they are, time travel where people don't, time travel where nothing can change, time travel where time can't...she stood up. "Jonathan, where are your spell books? I'm gonna go study them!"

She ran off and then Jonathan looked at Rosalie. "And what do _you_ have to say about this?"

"Of course I'm worried," Rosalie replied. "But I honestly don't know what to do. If someone comes up with some way I can help, I'll do it for sure. But until then, I think they can manage."

"Is it just Dad and Mom that are gone?" Savannah asked. "Is anyone else gone too?"

"Astrid and Alistair are gone too," Jonathan replied. "I fear what will happen at the council. Even though I think Helene can handle it competently, I don't know how many other people will. Poor Helene. This isn't going to end well for her."

* * *

When Helene came into work, she found her secretary standing by the door looking worried. "What?" She asked as she sat down. "What's the matter?"

"Apparently, the other Council members don't have the same faith in you that your mother does," the woman replied. "They had a meeting and I listened at the door. They said that if your mother doesn't get back in a week, they're gonna find someone to replace her."

"A _week?_ " Helene asked, glad she was sitting down. "My mother was sent back in time! It'll take way more than a week to get her back! Are they out of their minds?"

"I have a feeling they've been waiting for a situation like this to happen ever since they thought they could toss your mother out for giving positions to relatives," the secretary replied. "Can I get you anything? What can I do for you?"

"Cancel any appointments I have, get me some coffee, and tell any Council members you find that I want to talk to them," Helene told her. "Please."

"Yes, ma'am," her secretary told her. "I'll get right on that. Good luck."


	7. It's All Coming Back

Despite Alistair's valiant attempts to keep Klaus' affection for Amy at bay, it was clear that it wouldn't be abating any time soon and he finally just gave up trying and let the chips fall where they may. After all, he reasoned eventually, wasn't his goal to have the others get their memories back so he could get them to the present? And wasn't Klaus and Amy being together how things were, so any other outcome would mess up time and cause dire trouble for Savannah, Vivian, and Rosalie? Yes, he comforted himself. That was right.

And since he no longer had to tail Klaus as much, he set about working on Astrid. Although at times it seemed that he didn't have to do any work at all.

"Hello, Professor," she said, smiling at him as she came into his room after breakfast. "Do you mind if I dust in here, or would you like me to wait?"

"What did you call me?" He asked. It was the same nickname she had for him in the present and it made him wonder if her memories were coming back.

"Professor," she repeated. "Cause you seem like the bookish sort. Sorry if you don't like it. I won't do it again."

"No, no!" He said quickly. "I like it." He paused, deciding to press her further. "What sort of memories, if any, does the name 'Helene' conjure up for you?"

"None," Astrid shrugged. "But it's a very pretty name. I might name my daughter that someday if I have one." She gave him a lusty look. "Hopefully with you."

She then busied herself with dusting, leaving Alistair not quite sure if she was getting her memories back, or if it was just a really lucky coincidence that she was so attracted to him both in the past and the present.

Things heated up later when he came in from taking letters to the post office and doing other errands. He was covered in dust and dirt, something Astrid was quick to point out when she was helping him remove his jacket.

"Would you like me to run you a bath before dinner?" She asked. "It's no trouble. I would be more than happy to do it."

"Well, yes!" Alistair nodded. "Thank you. That would be wonderful."

Astrid smiled and led him to the bathroom where she turned on the water, helped Alistair undress (taking lots of time to appreciate his body) and then helped him into the water.

"It's a large tub," she said. "I could come in there and help you…if you want. She then got on her knees, her hands tightly gripping the edge of the white tub as she leaned toward him, their lips practically touching.

"We barely know each other," he whispered. "But I would never refuse a lady's help."

He then watched with a grin as she undressed and then joined him in the large tub, putting some soap on a wash cloth and slowly washed him off with it. As she washed down his arm, she took his hand, the one with his wedding ring on it.

"What we're doing is probably wrong," she said as she stared at it. "You have a wife somewhere, don't you?"

"I-I do," Alistair told her. "She's closer than you think."

"What is it that you mean by that?" She asked, her eyes wide as she scooted against the wall of the tub. "Is she going to come and catch us? Oh, please don't turn me in! I need this position! I have nowhere else to go and no idea of who I am!"

Alistair sighed. "I probably shouldn't tell you this," he said. "It would be best to wait until you remember for yourself, but since this isn't a time you were alive during, who knows how long that will take, so I'll just let it all out: You're my wife. Your name is Astrid Fale. We've been married for many happy years and we have a daughter named Helene."

"What?" Astrid asked. "What are you going on about, saying that I don't belong in this time?"

"You don't!" Alistair said. "You were born in 1903 and the man who drove the carriage said this was 1896. Certain variations of time travel spells make people lose their memories if they travel back to a time when they never lived. One of the more old-fashioned types, but it's true. I mean, I think in this case it was just general amnesia since Klaus and Amy can't remember either, but you and I…we can do whatever we want because like I said, I gave you this ring. You're my wife and no one will come after you or treat you badly because we're together."

Astrid gave him a long look and sighed. "This would be a horrible trick to play on someone and you don't seem the type to do that."

"No," Alistair shook his head. "I'm not. I promise."

Astrid kissed him then. "Thank you," she said and began scrubbing him with renewed vigor. "Granted I don't remember anything that could verify what you're saying, but you'll help me with that."

"Of course I will," Alistair replied. "I've got nothing more to do today."

* * *

After they were done with their bath, they headed to bed, dropping their towels and then climbing into Alistair's bed and throwing the blankets over themselves, running their hands over each other's bodies and kissing each other furiously as she played with his dark hair and her legs parted to receive him.

They soon got lost in each other, their cries and giggles loud enough to be heard throughout the house, even though they themselves heard nothing, not even the knock on the door when a smirking Klaus let himself in to tell them it was time for them to come down to dinner.

"Formal dress is optional," he said, smirking at them both as they scrambled to cover themselves up with the blankets. "You might want to hurry if you'd like to eat, though. Kol has a big appetite, and so do I."

When Alistair finally appeared at the table, Klaus remarked, "One of your buttons is askew."

Alistair looked down and gasped, running into the next room to quickly rebutton it, and then sitting back down to eat again, taking a good sized piece of the beef he was offered.

"I don't have to wonder why you have such a healthy appetite," Klaus said. "Based on all the athletics you've been engaged in recently."

Alistair swallowed. "Oh, be quiet!" He snapped, his cheeks flushing a little. "It's not like you've never been caught in a compromising position before!"

"Well, that's just it," Klaus grinned. "I don't think of it as being seen in a compromising position. I've got nothing to be ashamed of. And you shouldn't either, getting a woman as pretty as that in your bed."

"Yes," Alistair said after a few seconds. "I guess so." He paused. "As a change of subject, what did you do with yourself today?"

"Oh, this and that," Klaus smiled. "I'll be meeting Amy tomorrow. You don't need to come with me. Your presence would be distracting."

"All right," Alistair replied to Klaus' surprise. "You go and do. Just be gentle with Jonathan, all right? We can't have him die."

"Fine," Klaus replied. "I'll keep him alive if I have to."

"Good," Alistair told him. "Thank you. Have a good time tomorrow."

"Oh, I plan to," Klaus winked. "Don't worry."

* * *

"Hello, Amy," Klaus said as she met him at an art gallery. "Or should I call you Miss Burke? I should have probably asked you that sooner."

"No, Amy is fine," she assured him. "But thank you for making sure." They sat down in front of Botticelli's _The Birth of Venus_ , and she folded her peach and white lace parasol, sticking it under the bench. "I almost didn't get here, you know. Jonathan has been in a bad temper ever since you first came to visit us after you saved me.

"He has?" Klaus asked. "I hope it's nothing _I_ did."

"Well, yes," Amy told him. "The kissing and hugging between us was something he thought was much too familiar." She sighed. "You came at a lucky time. I've been growing apart from him for some time but haven't gotten up the courage to say it."

"Have you?" Klaus asked. "Why is that? He's a little dull, but…"

"I want more," Amy told him. "Do you understand that? I want to travel and see beautiful art like this and be able to tell stories to my friends of places they'll never see because they just don't think big enough. Is that strange?"

"No," Klaus told her. "It certainly isn't." He took her hand in his and Amy looked down at both of them. "Isn't it interesting how our rings match?" She asked. Along with her engagement ring from Jonathan, she still wore her wedding ring given to her by Klaus. "Isn't that strange?"

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "Very strange indeed."

"This is going to sound strange," Amy told him, "so don't you laugh at me, but…do you think that maybe you and I got married at some point and we just don't remember? That's the only way I can think that I would have a wedding ring just like yours."

"Oh, I've heard of such things," Klaus nodded. "But usually after a night of drunken debauchery. You're not the type to partake in drunken debauchery, are you?"

"No," Amy shook her head. "The most outrageous thing I've done as of late is not tell Jonathan that I came here to meet with you. I was afraid it would just upset him. That's why I can't stay long."

"Well, let's make the most of the time that we do have," Klaus told her. "I'd like to kiss you now."

"Out in the open?" Amy asked, her eyes wide. "Oh, I couldn't!"

"The other day you let me kiss you in front of your fiancé," Klaus pointed out.

"Yes, and that was very wrong," Amy said, crossing her arms and turning away from him. "Now, if you're going to start behaving like a gentleman, we can continue looking at these pictures. Otherwise, I'll be going home."

"I'm sorry," Klaus apologized. "I realize I was forward. Yes, let's continue looking at the paintings. I'll take whatever time I can spend with you and be grateful for it."

But it was Klaus and Amy's bad luck that one of Jonathan's friends saw them at the art gallery and eventually the news reached him so that by the time Amy returned home, he was in a fury.

"Why did you lie to me?" He demanded to know. "What were you doing wandering around an art gallery with another man?"

"I don't have to answer to you or any other man about what I do!" Amy cried. "Klaus is intelligent and interesting and while we looked at paintings, he told me all about Europe, and all the other places he's traveled to. It was a much more thrilling couple of hours than any we've ever spent!" She paused and ripped her ring off. "I won't be treated like this!" She cried. "Our engagement is off!" She stomped off to her room then, meeting with her sister Margot and having to maneuver carefully so they both had room to get down the staircase.

"I heard you yelling," Margot told Jonathan, putting a hand on his arm. "Is everything all right?"

"No," Jonathan shook his head. "Your sister and I are no longer betrothed." He sat down and she said, "Would you like me to help you forget about it? I know the perfect way."

He gave her a long look. "All right," he said, knowing that his decision was ill-advised but not caring. "Let's go."


	8. Descent Into Chaos

"You didn't have to make that deal, you know," Malachai told Helene as she got to his house and they talked about the new custody arrangement with Sarah. "You didn't need to give up your job."

"Oh, it's fine," Helene told him as she sat down and watched the magical news, which had her resignation as a top headline, along with predictions that it would be a cutthroat race to replace her. "They were just looking for an excuse to get rid of me. The way I did it, as I said in court, I not only helped you, I got to leave with dignity."

"Well, I suppose that's one way to look at it," Malachai nodded. He then sighed and watched the television. "What do you think will happen now?"

"Something bad," Helene shuddered. "I hate to think what my mother is going to do to me when she gets back to the present and finds out she doesn't have a job anymore because I fucked everything up."

Malachai took her hand. "I wouldn't worry too much," he said. "Your mother is one of the kindest, most loving people I know. She'll forgive you. She'll understand."

"I don't know," Helene sighed, her dark eyes troubled. "That job meant a lot to her. She devoted practically her whole life to it, which is why I grew up an only child. At the very least, I'm sure she'll struggle with what to do with herself."

"You can help her find something," Malachai replied. "And you know what I think? I think your father will be happy to finally be able to see her every day."

"Yeah," Helene nodded, moving her gray skirt a little so it covered up more of her thigh. "Daddy would never say it to Mom because he knows she's passionate about her work, but I think the separation did wear on him. This could be good."

"There you go," Malachai replied. "Look at it that way and you have nothing to worry about."

A knock on the door heralded the arrival of Sarah. Helene went to open it just in case it was Matthew and she needed to run interference, but to her relief, it was Christine.

"Hi," She said as Helene invited her in. "I come bearing Sarah."

"I thought you would," Helene smiled. "Matthew too emotional to come?"

"Oh, no," Christine smiled and sat down. "He was perfectly willing to come, but I thought that given his feelings about Malachai, it would be best if he stayed away, at least for the first time." She paused. "Do you really think this arrangement of alternating weeks is going to help anything? I don't want to do anything that will make Sarah confused because she keeps getting passed back and forth."

"I think she'll be all right," Helene replied as she took Sarah in her lap. "She seems like a very easy-going child. If I thought she couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have suggested this arrangement in particular."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Christine agreed as she took her daughter's hand. "And it's not like I won't come and visit in the meantime."

"Exactly," Helene nodded. "You're more than welcome."

"Oh, hello, Christine," Malachai greeted her. "How nice to see you. Can I get you a drink or something?"

"Thank you," Christine nodded. "A water would be nice."

So Malachai went and got her a water and they talked a bit longer. "Anything I need to assure you about?" He asked Christine. "I know your husband is worried. Are you?"

"No," Christine shook her head. "I do admit that I feel better now that you have Helene helping you, though."

"And that's perfectly reasonable," Malachai conceded. "We'll take good care of her. You tell your husband that."

"I will," Christine agreed. Then, her phone rang and she rolled her eyes. "Speaking of my husband…" She put the phone against her ear. "What?" She barked.

"Why are you still there?" Matthew asked. "Why couldn't you just drop Sarah off and come back? You said you would!"

"I wanted to stay and have a little conversation," Christine told him firmly. "I told you to go to your brother's so he could keep your mind off what I was doing and it's not my fault you didn't listen, but stayed home and sulked instead. I'll be home when I decide I want to come, okay?"

"Fine," Matthew said, his voice sulky. "Just don't decide to move in with him, all right?"

"I won't," Christine assured him. "I promise."

"Wow, Matthew's really shook up about this, isn't he?" Helene asked, feeling genuinely dumbfounded.

"Yeah, he is," Christine sighed. "And I just…I wish I could help him deal with it, but I don't know how."

"You'll find a way," Helene told her. "I promise."

"Yes," Malachai agreed. "And even though your husband will never believe me, tell him that I'll be on my best behavior at all times."

"I will," Christine told him. "Like you say, it probably won't do much good, given how stubborn he is, but maybe if I repeat it enough times, it will finally get through that thick skull of his. It's something to shoot for."

When Matthew called again, Christine growled and then got up from the sofa. "He'll just keep calling until I come home, so I might as well do it. Thank you for your hospitality you two, and…and for taking such good care of my daughter."

"You're welcome," Malachai told her and gave her a brief hug. "It's our pleasure."

* * *

"So…how are things going with Amy?" Alistair asked. "Are you making progress?"

"Of course I am!" Klaus replied. "We're going out again this evening."

"You're not taking her to see one of those violent plays, are you?" Alistair wanted to know.

"No!" Klaus shook his head. "Give me a bit more credit than that."

"I'm just saying, there are certain things you do that would not be acceptable with a woman like Amy," Alistair said. "And you know what I'm talking about."

"Do you want to come with me and make sure I do all the right things?" Klaus asked dryly.

"Yes," Alistair nodded.

* * *

So they went to pick up Amy and managed to get an extra symphony ticket for Alistair. He enjoyed the performance immensely, but then looked over at intermission and realized that Klaus was not sitting next to him, and neither was Amy. Suddenly, a shriek rang out and Alistair got up from his seat, trying not to get trampled by the others who followed him. And soon, he found out what the screaming was: Klaus had a terrified Amy by the hair, and blood was flowing onto her dress because he'd bitten her deeply as a way to sate his hunger.

"Oh, for the love of god," he whispered to himself. "Why this? Why now? He was doing so well!" He quickly did magic that made everyone disperse and forget what they saw and then grabbed Amy. "Let's go home," he said. "No need for you to stay here."

"Yes," Amy nodded, staring at Klaus, whose mouth was covered in blood as he panted growled like an animal. "What's wrong with him? Is he crazy? He seemed so nice!"

"You don't seem as shocked as I thought you would be," Alistair replied, guessing that it was because she knew she was a witch and had seen worse, or things that were just as bad.

"I'm a witch," Amy told him quietly. "I know a thing or two about vampires." She sighed. "I guess I'll have to go back to Jonathan then."

"But that's good!" Alistair told her and suggested she wait for them in the cab while he took Klaus to the bathroom and cleaned him up.

"Why did you take me away from her?" Klaus asked Alistair. "I was hungry!"

"You can't feed like that in public!" Alistair scolded. "And if you hope to have a future with a woman like that, trying to kill her is a terrible way to make your suit." He of course remembered other times Klaus had gone full vampire on Amy and they hadn't ended well for either person. If Amy reacted the same way now as she had in the present, getting them to like each other well enough to go back was going to take forever. He growled in frustration and punched the wall.

"What's the matter with you?" Klaus asked. "There are other women if things don't work out with her."

Alistair turned to glare at him. "It's no use explaining to you why that doesn't work," he said. "Let's just go home. My head is beginning to throb."

They went to join Amy in the cab, where she sat very close to Alistair (practically squishing him against the window) while watching Klaus with suspicious as she wiped at her neck and stared in dismay at the blood that was drying on her dress.

* * *

As she thought he would, Jonathan had a terrible reaction to her when he came out to meet her with Margot following behind.

"What in the world happened?" He cried, hugging her. "Why are you covered in blood?!"

"He's a vampire," Amy told him with a sigh. "He probably just wanted to be near me for my neck." She paused. "I have to apologize for the way I acted. Will you take me back?"

"Of course I will," Jonathan told her. "I don't want you to have any more run-ins with dangerous men. You're safer with me."

"Let's get you cleaned up," Margot added, feeling a little resentful that things with Jonathan had been stopped so early, but more grateful that her sister wasn't dead. "And let's not tell Mother about this. Her heart condition will kick in again if she finds out."

"You're right," Amy replied, giving Alistair a wave over her sister's shoulder. "Thank you for bringing me home, Mr. Fale. Your help was invaluable."

"You're welcome, Miss Burke," Alistair told her. "Be safe, would you?"

He then went home, and to his surprise (or perhaps not) found Astrid in his room when he went in there to change into less formal clothes. "How was the opera?" She asked.

"It didn't go well," he said, keeping the door open a crack. "We had to leave early."

"I'm sorry," Astrid told him. "Can I help you find some other way to spend your time? We could continue what we did the other night. I enjoyed that. Although you don't have to tell me silly stories about time travel and how you and I are married if you want to get me in bed. You just have to smile that cute little smile and let me play with your hair."

Alistair chuckled. "All right," he said. "But we can't be occupied for too long. I don't want Klaus to think you're neglecting your housekeeping duties when he was so kind as to give them to you when you finished nursing me back to health."

"I actually had another chat with Klaus before, and he said that all I needed to do to maintain my place here was to continue watching after you and do what you wanted," she said. "He even told me he'd pay me."

"So you're offering to be my mistress?" Alistair asked, a little shocked. He'd never considered himself the 'have a mistress' type, but he supposed since Astrid was technically his wife, she just didn't remember that, he could take a mistress just this once.

"Yes," Astrid nodded. "Does that bother you?"

"No," He said and took her in his arms, kissing her.

"Good," Astrid smiled and turned around. "Would you unbutton me?"

"You want to start _now_?" Alistair asked.

"Why not?" Astrid wanted to know. "Do you have anything better to do?"

"No," Alistair said quickly as he began undoing her buttons. "I don't think I do."


	9. A Reason To Worry

"I have to say I'm not happy with you," Klaus said to Alistair.

"Why?" Alistair asked. "What did I do?"

"You sent Amy back to her idiot fiancé," Klaus pouted. "Why couldn't you have told her about all my good qualities instead?"

"Because I think it's ridiculous to try and force that poor woman to like you when you just tried to kill her," Alistair replied. "If you want her to like you, you'll have to show her on your own that you're a good person. And that will take time."

"Not if I use my powers on her," Klaus replied.

"That won't work," Alistair informed him. "She's a witch. You can't."

"Damn!" Klaus swore.

"Exactly!" Alistair smiled. "Be good, take your time…pursue another woman."

"No!" Klaus cried. "I don't want her to be with that man!" He paused and chuckled. "Why am I worried? "I could woo her away easily. And it wouldn't even take much out of me anyway."

"There's nothing I can say or do that will dissuade you from this path of action, is there?" Alistair wanted to know.

"Exactly," Klaus smiled. "So don't even try." He left then and Alistair sighed, going to the kitchen where Astrid was doing the dishes.

"Would you like some help with those?" He asked.

"Oh, that's very sweet," Astrid told him. "But you don't have to help me."

"I know I don't, but I want to," Alistair said. "I insist. Please."

"All right," Astrid nodded, handing him a plate.

He took it, chuckling to himself about how the roles were reversed now, and how weird it was to see Astrid have time to do things like wash dishes.

"And don't you worry," she assured him as they later polished the silverware. "I'm sure we'll have time to take a tumble in bed before dinner, especially since the master seems to have gone out and his brother's never around much anyway." She paused and flushed a little. "Not that I want you to think I'm putting my duties aside just to engage in carnal activities. I'm much more committed than it might sound."

"Oh, I know that," Alistair said, taking her in his arms and kissing her. "You don't need to work so hard. In fact, I would be so pleased if you would just let me take care of you."

Astrid heard this and raised an eyebrow. "That 's one of the perks of being your mistress?" She asked.

Alistair chuckled. "I suppose," he said. "I'm not really good at this mistress business. You're the first one I've ever had."

"Really?" Astrid asked, a grin on her lips. "I never would have guessed. You seem more like the marriage type than the mistress type. Would it be easier for you if you just married me?"

"I-I suppose we could," Alistair replied, both surprised and comforted by her bluntness. "There's no rush to do it, though. Just whenever we can get away." He chuckled. "If Klaus has his way, he'll get hold of this woman he has an interest in and it will be a double wedding."

"And are you looking forward to that?" Astrid wanted to know.

"No," Alistair said immediately. "She's a nice girl and all…but I don't think it's best for her to be with him right now." He paused. "Same goes for the proposal. We don't have to marry right now. Hell, we don't have to marry at all. It was just an idea."

"Are you saying you don't want to marry me?" Astrid asked. "When I'm the one who brings it up, it means I want it."

"Oh, I know that," Alistair said quickly. "But…"

"Never mind," Astrid told him, striding from the room. Alistair tried to follow her, but suddenly she turned and zapped him away.

"Damn," he swore as he sat up from the floor and rubbed the bump on his head. How would he fix this?

* * *

But he didn't have much time to dwell on it as he later got a visit from the police saying that Klaus had gotten in some sort of fight and had given his name as someone who would come and bail him out.

When they reached the police station, he was led to the block of jail cells where both Klaus and Jonathan were being held. They both sported black eyes and fat lips and Jonathan also had a drying trail of blood on his throat.

"I knew this was going to happen," Alistair told Klaus. "Didn't I tell you just to leave poor Amy alone and go find another woman?"

"You did," Klaus agreed. "But I took it as a challenge."

"Well, this will be a lesson to you, then," he said, putting a spell on the bars so Klaus couldn't break them and then when the officer returned to ask if he would help his friend, said, "No, but I will be helping this man," he gestured at Jonathan. "Let him out, if you would."

"All right, the officer nodded as Klaus growled angrily and gripped the bars. They settled Jonathan's bail and he was set free.

As they drove him back to his house, he said to Alistair, "I have to thank you for what you did. You always hear about the kindness of strangers, but it's not often one experiences it." He paused. "Well, I guess you're more of an acquaintance than a stranger, aren't you?"

"It's really no trouble," Alistair told him. "You were put in that situation because of my charge. I should have kept a better eye on him. This is the least I can do, really."

"But what about your friend?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, I'll pick him up tomorrow," Alistair replied. "A night in jail would do him some good."

When they parked in the street by his house, Amy came running out to greet them. "Oh, I was so worried when I heard about what happened to you!" She said, hugging Jonathan and kissing his cheeks. "Are you all right?"

"I will be," Jonathan assured her. "I promise. Nothing a little rest won't cure."

"Well, I hope so," Amy said. Then she kissed Alistair on the cheek. "Thank you for getting him out," she said. "I was just about to come do it myself."

"I'm happy to do it," he said. "It was no trouble at all. I hope you two have a nice evening."

"Oh, we will," Amy nodded. "Thank you."

Alistair then headed out, planning to spend some time reading since he was no longer on Astrid's good side. But when he got home, something stopped him from doing that. Not a bad something. An interesting something.

"Hello," Elijah told him as he stood up from the kitchen table." Have you seen my brother?"

"He got in a fight," Alistair replied. "And thus will be spending an evening in jail. When I found out he'd been arrested, I put a spell on the bars of his cell so he couldn't break out."

"Did you," Elijah smiled and came to shake his hand. "Wonderful. It's nice to find another soul who isn't afraid of my brother. I'm Elijah."

"Alistair," Alistair replied. "And yes, there's very little your brother can do that will scare me." He looked up. "Would you like to meet me in the library for a drink?"

"If you have scotch, yes I would," Elijah nodded. "Lead the way."

* * *

Helene was playing with Sarah just before dinner when she heard a knock on the door of Malachai's house. "I'll get it," she said, picking Sarah up and heading to the door. She opened it and saw a very sad-looking boy on the other side. "Hi," she said. "Who are you? Wait, are you one of Mother's interns? How did you find this place?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I just…I wanted to look for you and here you were. Can I come in?"

"What do you want?" She asked after letting him in and inviting him to sit on the sofa. "What's your name?"

"Sorry," The boy replied. "I'm Percy, and I'm somewhat responsible for, you know, you getting fired and your mother being sent back in time."

Helene raised an eyebrow. "Come in," she said. Percy came inside and sat down on the sofa just as Malachai entered the room. "Who is it?" He asked.

Percy looked at Malachai with awe. "I-I came to talk to…wow."

"He's one of Mother's interns at the Council," Helene replied. "He's why she got sent back in time."

"Steve cast the spell," Percy replied. "I just neglected to stop him."

"Ah," Malachai nodded. "So you've come to right your wrong?"

"Yes," Percy nodded. "Or at least confess so you can work on fixing it."

"Well, there's not much I can do now that I don't work at the Council anymore," Helene told him. "But thanks for telling me what happened." She paused. "Now, there are lots of ways to do a time travel spell. Many of them are improper, some of them are proper. Which way did Steve use?"

"We took some old pictures that Miss Amy had and we used them as the basis for sending her and everyone back," Percy replied.

"So there was nothing about manipulating it so you could only watch it like a movie?" Helene asked. "My parents are in a situation where they could change time easily if they weren't too careful?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded with a shrug. "I guess."

"Oh, damn," Helene replied and put a hand to her mouth before reaching out for Malachai. "What if something goes wrong in the past? What if I'm never born?"

"Well, you're still here, so I don't think we need to worry yet," Malachai said.

"Are we just gonna sit and wait until we _do_ need to worry?" Helene asked, shaking him. "What good will that do? Do you know how to do time travel spells, Malachai? Send me back! Send me back!"

"No," Malachai told her firmly. "The way to solve this is not to send more people back."

"Well, then what should we do?" Helene asked. "I know my father is good with time travel stuff and since he protects himself from the memory issues associated with time travel, we should be safe, but do we really want to take that risk?"

"Yes," Malachai told her firmly. "We do. Trust your father to come through."

"I've always done that," Helene said. "I suppose now won't be any different. But it's just so maddening to have to wait."

"I know," Malachai told her. "I know."

"Again," Percy said, reaching out to touch her arm. "I'm so sorry about what we did, and that I didn't stop it."

"Oh, don't beat yourself up too much," Helene told him. "I've seen Steve. I don't think you could have stopped him even if you _had_ tried."

"Yep," Percy nodded. "That's a very good point." He then got up to go look at Sarah. "Who's the baby?" He asked.

"That's Sarah," Malachai explained. "She's my daughter."

"Ah," Percy said and reached down into the playpen, letting Sarah grip his finger with her hand. "I like her. She's nice."

"Not to be rude," Helene told him. "But do your parents know you're here? I wouldn't want them to worry."

Percy shrugged. "Even if my mother did know, I doubt she would care. She works a lot and doesn't really have time for me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Helene told him, because she really was. "Do you…would you liked to stay for dinner? How long has it been since you had a good meal?"

"I don't know," Percy said, picking up Sarah and coming to sit back down. "I usually buy myself a hamburger or something, but that's about it."

"Then you have to stay and get some good food in you," Helene insisted. "What would you like to eat?"

"Pizza!" Percy said immediately. "I know that's not exactly healthy, but it's been awhile since I had any and I'd like some."

"That's fine," Helene replied with a smile. "I love pizza."

By the time he'd returned from washing his hands, Helene had set up the whole table.

"I thought we could do a 'make your own pizza' thing," she said as she carried around Sarah and fed her out of a bottle full of formula with some blood mixed in. "Is that all right with you? I wasn't sure what sort of pizza you liked."

"I'll take anything," Percy said. "This should be fun."

As he made up his pizza, Sarah finished her formula and Helene sat her down in her high chair, putting fruits and cereal down on the little tray for her to try. She was very fascinated by and enthusiastic about the new foods, and soon they were all gone so that she had to have more.

"I see you liked all that," she said, kissing the little girl. "That's good!"

Sarah smiled and babbled and then went back to eating, only pausing when Malachai came in the room to say, "Da-da!" Which shocked everyone.

"Oh, I hope Matthew doesn't hear her say that," Helene told Malachai.

"At least hear her say that to _me_ , you mean," Malachai said as he made up his own pizza. "But I'm not worried. She's so affectionate, she'll probably start calling everyone that as part of her normal development, which I hope Christine will make Matthew understand so he doesn't take it as a threat or a challenge."

"I hope you're right," Helene nodded. "Cause the last thing we need now is more time in court." She then dropped the subject and they went to sit next to Percy at the table, and Malachai was quick to notice the enthusiasm with which the boy ate.

"Seems like you have a healthy appetite," he remarked.

"Yeah," Percy nodded after swallowing. "I don't usually have access to this much food at one time." He paused. "I know this might sound like bad manners, but would you mind if I came to eat with you every night? Or at least more often? My mother wouldn't care, I promise. In fact, she'd probably be glad that I wouldn't be underfoot."

"That sounds good to me," Malachai replied. Then he looked at Helene. "What do you think?"

"Doesn't bother me," Helene said. "Your house, your rules."

"All right," Malachai said and reached out to touch the boy's shoulder. He was suddenly feeling very paternal toward him. "As long as you're eating here, would you like a room too?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose like that," Percy said quickly. "You've already done enough for me."

"Don't be silly," Malachai told him. "I have the room. I insist you take one if you want. Or even just the couch."

"All right," Percy said after thinking it over for a while. "I might just do that. Thanks."


	10. A Bad Marriage

After Klaus got out of jail, he started bringing Elijah around much more often. They would go out and every time they left, if Alistair was sitting anywhere in sight of the door, Klaus would stop and give him a look as if to say 'I'm going out with someone else. Aren't you jealous'?

Alistair didn't mind. He thought it was okay for him to think that because it gave him time to try and make up things with Astrid, who wasn't talking to him.

"Tell me what I can do to get you to talk to me," he pleaded as he followed Astrid from room to room because she left it every time he entered it.

"I don't know what I can tell you," Astrid said. "How can you have the same kind of relationship a marriage proposal goes horribly wrong?"

"It didn't go horribly wrong," Alistair told her. "I would be happy to marry you."

"No," Astrid turned away. "I know you're only saying that so I won't be mad at you and that's no way to start a marriage." She stalked away and Alistair went to collapse on his bed and stare listlessly at the ceiling until something suddenly appeared out of nowhere, drifted down, and landed on his face.

"Lucky for me, that was a piece of paper and not an anvil or something," he whispered to himself. He read the note over and swore.

"I should have known," he told himself. "I should have known." The news that things were beginning to change in the present was not news that surprised him, but he had hoped it would take longer for it to happen, since it seemed highly unlikely that he would be in the position to fix things any time soon. He crumpled the note up, threw it in the trash, and strode out of his room.

"What's the matter?" Elijah asked him. "Is everything all right?"

"No, everything is _not_ all right," Alistair snapped. "Everything is terrible. But I don't want to burden you with that since you can't fix it anyway."

"Are you sure?" Elijah wanted to know.

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "Just having trouble with Astrid and some…other things."

"Well, if one of those other things is my brother, I'd be more than happy to help you," Elijah offered. "You just met him, but I have many years of experience dealing with his pettiness and tantrums."

"Thank you," Alistair smiled. "But actually, he's the _least_ of my problems. Do you suppose, though, that you could get him to talk to me? I know he's upset about what I did with Amy, but it's awfully important."

"All right," Elijah nodded. "I'll see what I can do. And are you sure there isn't anything else you'd like to tell me? I know we just met, but you look like you need to talk to someone."

"Oh thank you, but it would probably just make things worse if I did," Alistair told him. "Let's just stay with my talking to your brother for now."

* * *

"What do you want?" Klaus asked irritably when he came to see Alistair at bedtime. Elijah had told him much earlier, but he was so mad at his friend that he'd avoided it all day. "I'm still mad at you, so if this is some attempt to get me to forgive you, it won't work. Not after what happened with Amy."

"I understand that you're fond of her," Alistair replied as he adjusted the oil lamp above his bed so the light in the room was dimmed a little. "But she's engaged. You can't go after an engaged woman and expect her to reciprocate in kind, especially when you only see her as a blood source."

"I don't only see her as a blood source!" Klaus replied, looking wounded. "I think she has other good qualities too. I believe we could be very happy together."

"You believe that, but she doesn't cause she's engaged to someone else," Alistair told him. "Let it go! Let her decide to come to you. I'm sure she wil."

"No," Klaus told him. "I won't. Goodnight."

Alistair sighed. This was not good. If time was messing up for Helene because he and Astrid weren't together, he didn't want to think about what was going on with Klaus and Amy's girls.

* * *

The line of thought didn't change when, in the next few days, they read in the paper of Amy's marriage to Jonathan.

"Oh, my god!" Alistair said, spitting his coffee on the paper and making the ink run. "How…how…how…"

"You lied to me!" Klaus told him. "You said that if I was kind and good and patient, that if I showed her how much I cared, she would leave that other man and be with me. Now what hope is there for that if she's married? This is all your fault!"

"Don't blame him, Niklaus," Elijah said without looking at his brother. "I'm sure you did something to frighten her and this is just a reaction to that."

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "Did you do something? What was it?"

"Well, apparently showing up at someone's house in the middle of the night with flowers is not as romantic as the novels would like you to believe," Klaus scoffed.

"You broke into her house in the middle of the night to give her flowers?" Alistair asked, his jaw dropping a little. "Are you insane?"

"I climbed up her house, got into her room through the window, watched her sleep for a little bit, and when she woke up and I offered her the flowers, she screamed and ran away," Klaus said. "She didn't even give me time to explain myself."

"Honestly, I don't blame her," Alistair told him. "You're lucky you weren't arrested again." He read the article again and clicked his tongue. "Poor Amy," he said to himself. "She probably thought marriage was her only way to protect herself." Although what this marriage would do to Savannah in the present, he didn't even want to think about.

* * *

"Do you wonder what's going on with my mother ever since she disappeared?" Savannah asked Jonathan.

"Yes, I do a little bit," Jonathan said. "Being sent back in time…it's such a risky venture. If the spell isn't cast properly, anything that's done could change the future…sometimes completely."

Savannah went to look at the picture of Jonathan and her mother that had been put on the mantel. "You both looked so good back then," she said.

"Yes, we did," Jonathan agreed. "It's a shame nothing ever came of us." He looked at Savannah apologetically. "I mean, it was good because if it had, then I never would have met you."

"It's okay," Savannah told him. "Would you mind if I put a picture of my parents next to it?"

"Of course," Jonathan nodded.

She went to look for one, and came back, her hands shaking as she held the photo.

"What?" Jonathan asked her.

"This isn't normal," she said. "This picture has been around, but it's not really old, is it?"

"No," Jonathan replied. "I wonder why it's begun to fade away, then?"

"What?" Savannah asked. They watched together as the frame suddenly housed a blank photograph. Then Jonathan fainted.

When he came to, Savannah was standing over him and fanning him with a newspaper. "Jonathan?" She said, leaning close to his face, her red hair brushing his cheek. "Jonathan, are you all right?"

"Who are you?" He asked as he sat up. "Who are you, and where am I?" He grabbed her. "What have you done with my wife? Where's Amy?"

"She's gone!" Savannah cried. "I don't know where. And she's not your wife! I am! She's my mother."

Jonathan frowned. "Your mother? If she's your mother, and my wife, then you must be…our daughter. Yes. Yes, I can see it. What's your name?"

"Savannah," Savannah repeated in frustration. "What's the matter with you?"

"I don't know why my daughter would have such an outlandish name," Jonathan told her. "And why is it that you think you're my wife? You seem much too old for childish thoughts like that." He stood up and grabbed her hand. "Come along. I'm taking you to the doctor."


	11. Owner Of A Lonely Heart

Savannah struggled against Jonathan as he zapped them to the hospital, but then realized that was exactly where they needed to be.

"Hello," said the receptionist as they approached. "How can I help you?"

"I need to have my daughter examined," Jonathan told her. "She seems to be under some delusion that she's my wife."

"Well, that's strange," woman replied, pushing forms toward them. "Fill these out and we'll have you looked at."

Savannah took the forms and began filling them out, but for Jonathan rather than herself.

"This visit is for you, dear," Jonathan told her as he looked over her shoulder. "Why are you writing them for me?"

"Because _you_ are the one who's sick, that's why," Savannah replied. "I think it has to do with Mom and Dad's time travel, but we'll get you looked at just to be sure." She finished the forms and then took him to sit down.

"I really can't wait to see what sort of diagnosis they give you," Jonathan replied. "Hopefully, it's something that can be cured fairly easily. Not like when my mother went insane and my father had to institutionalize her to keep her from being a danger to herself and others."

"It's nothing that bad," Savannah assured him. "They'll just need to put you on some sort of potion regimen for a while and then you'll be better. Now can we just…not talk, please?"

"All right," Jonathan nodded and patted her hand. "It'll give me time to think about what to say to the doctor when he asks me to explain your outlandish behavior."

Savannah rolled her eyes at this and fidgeted in her seat until she and Jonathan were called.

"All righty," the nurse surveyed the clipboard. "What's going on here?" She looked up, her eyes sweeping over Jonathan's body. "You look in perfect health to me."

"What you see written on that clipboard is inaccurate," Jonathan explained to her. "I'm fine. My daughter is just having problems with her memory."

"Oh?" The nurse turned to Savannah. "What kind of memory problems are you having?"

"See, that's what's hard to explain," Savannah told her. "You see this man? He is my husband, not my father. My parents have gone back in time and I believe they have succeeded in changing history somehow, which is why his memory is messed up. Is there some sort of potion he can take that will make things go back to normal?"

"If his memory problems are the result of time travel shenanigans, I don't know if there's anything we can get that will permanently fix it until your parents have come back to where they're supposed to be," the nurse told her. "But I suppose we can try some different memory potions and see if any of them do anything."

"All right," Savannah nodded. "What do we have to lose at this point?"

So when the doctor showed up to examine him, Jonathan let him do it, but then pointed out that he thought it was Savannah that was having the trouble.

"Who do you think I am?" Savannah asked tiredly.

"You're my daughter," Jonathan replied. "You said my wife Amy is your mother, so that just makes sense, doesn't it?"

"No," Savannah replied and pulled out her wallet, taking out a small version of their wedding photo that she kept in it and showed it to him. "Look at this," she commanded. "Does that look like a man and his daughter to you?"

"How sweet!" Jonathan smiled. "I walked you down the aisle. Where's your husband? I don't see him anywhere."

"He's you!" Savannah repeated for the millionth time. " _You_ are my husband! You are _not_ my father. I'll show you the other wedding pictures when we get home and then maybe that will prove to you that I'm right."

"Maybe," Jonathan sighed and still looked at her like he was worried about her sanity.

* * *

"Please take the potion," Savannah said when they left with the prescription in hand. "If there's really nothing wrong with you like you say, it won't hurt you, and if you _are_ having a problem, it will fix it."

"All right," Jonathan sighed. "Since you clearly are not going to let this go until I do as you ask, I will humor you and take this ridiculous medicine. However, if it doesn't work with one dose, I'm not taking any more."

"Okay," Savannah agreed comfortably because she knew full well what would happen once he took the potion. "I'm all right with that."

"Good," Jonathan smiled. "It's nice that we've finally reached some kind of accord after all this nonsense."

When they got the potion home, Savannah measured out the right dose and handed a cupful to him. "Okay," she said. "It's the moment of truth. We'll see what happens."

"All right," Jonathan nodded. He tilted his head back and let the liquid slide down his throat. It felt like it burned and he quickly sat up straight, coughing and sputtering.

"Would you like me to get you some water?" Savannah asked. "That didn't look like it tasted pleasant."

"Thank you, Savannah dear," Jonathan told her. He took her arm as she prepared to leave, looking deeply in her eyes. "You're a good wife."

"You know I'm your wife?" Savannah smiled. "That's wonderful! Granted, you'll have to take a dose of this medicine every four hours to keep yourself remembering that, but it's better than nothing, right?"

"Yes," Jonathan nodded. "Definitely better than nothing."

* * *

"Will you tell me why you're so fidgety?" Klaus asked Alistair.

"No, I won't," Alistair told him. "It will get bad ideas into your head. Many bad things have happened as a result of Amy and Jonathan's marriage, I'm guessing, but it's too risky to try and fix it now. We'll just have to wait it out and see what happens."

"What sort of bad things?" Klaus asked. "Are you predicting that I might go on some sort of deadly spree as a result of it all?"

"No, you won't," Alistair told him firmly. "You have plenty of things to do with yourself that don't involve Amy. Work on those. Like that werewolf plan of yours. You're still working on that, right?"

"Of course," Klaus nodded. "But now I have a decision to make: which woman do I go after to help me achieve my goals? Katerina Petrova has given me trouble for years and I know she and Elijah have some sort of association, even though he tries to pretend they don't. Why don't I just go after the other girl? My brother Alexander was married to her, but then he left her because he was afraid of what she would do if she found out what he was. Plus I threatened to do away with him if he didn't leave his wife available for me if I wanted her."

"Did you do that?" Alistair asked. "How clever. I agree. Go with the other woman. You might like her better for all you know."

"Is that so?" Klaus asked. "You seem awfully certain."

"I am," Alistair nodded. "Granted your association might not be the healthiest, but she's some way for you to occupy your time until we figure out what to do about Amy."

"All right," Klaus nodded. "Let's go."

They packed bags and as they headed toward the door, that was when Elijah came upon them. "Where are you two off to?" He asked.

"Klaus and I are working on his werewolf plan," Alistair explained. "We're going to see the woman who can help him with it."

Elijah brightened. "Since you say 'the woman', does that mean you're talking about someone other than Katerina? That you plan on leaving her alone from now on?"

"Yes, yes," Klaus rolled his eyes. "You can have your woman without any more interference from me. She's too much trouble to deal with, anyway."

"Well," Elijah smiled with satisfaction. "Since we have that all cleared up, may I come with you?"

"Of course!" Alistair replied, feeling like it would be interesting to see Elijah interact with whatever Selina was like at this point. "Go ahead and come with us. It's no bother."

"Yes, it is!" Klaus complained. "What if he develops feelings for the other girl too and tries to talk me out of sacrificing her? It could happen."

"Well, we'll just see when we meet her, won't we?" Alistair said. "Let's go."

* * *

It took a few hours of bumpy riding in the carriage, but soon they arrived in nineteenth-century Mystic Falls.

"It's a small town," Elijah remarked. "It shouldn't be too difficult to find her."

"In fact," Alistair smiled, "I know exactly where she is."

They found her in what passed in Mystic Falls as a soda shop, sitting at the counter and drinking a Coke. Her eyes found them and followed them as they walked toward the fountain to join her and then she finally said something.

"Hello!" She said, standing up and straightening out the creases in her red and black dress. "You're new to town. Nice to see new blood. I'm Susanna." That was the name Selina was using at the time, just for a little change.

"Alistair," Alistair told her, bowing slightly. "And these are my friends, Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson."

Elijah had to admit to himself that she had beautiful large blue eyes, but as he tried to avert his gaze so she wouldn't think him rude for staring, he saw the button pinned on her dress. "Are you a suffragette?" He asked her.

"Yes," She nodded, looking him square in the eye. "I know we've just met, but you seem like exactly the sort of person who would have a problem with that. _Do_ you?"

" _He_ might, but I don't," Klaus interrupted, offering her his arm. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

She smiled and tucked her arm into his. "I would love to," she said. "I haven't been with a man in…it'll be twenty years this year. Not that I haven't had ways to spend my time. My son asked me to help him raise his family, after all and the youngest just turned three. It's a fulfilling life, but I need a little more sometimes." She actually reached out and put a hand under Klaus' chin so that he was looking into her eyes. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "I really do."

They headed out and Elijah remarked, "It's good that Niklaus has taken a shine to her, because I certainly wouldn't. Women like that…they're impossible. They have no respect for tradition or anything a man says!"

"Oh, I don't know," Alistair replied, letting his thoughts drift to Astrid for the first time in a few days. "If you treat them well, they're quite easy to get along with."

Elijah scoffed at this. "I don't know what sort of women you've been around Alistair, but I've never met any of them." He looked out the door and groaned as he saw Klaus and Selina kiss right out in the open for everyone to see. "I shouldn't be surprised," he said. "My brother has never had any sense of propriety. And her…I don't know why I expected more from her." He then turned to Alistair. "I might not be able to control my brother anymore, but I think it will be easy to teach that woman some manners." He strode toward them as Alistair called after him, "That might not be a good idea!"

But Elijah ignored him and pulled Selina out of his brother's grip, holding her shoulders tight. That move led him to get a good, hard slap from her.

"How dare you touch me!" She cried.

"Yes, Elijah," Klaus nodded and took a flying leap at his brother, knocking him to the ground. "What is in your head?" He then looked up at Selina. "Would you like to take care of him?" He asked.

"No," Selina replied with a wicked smile and stepped away. "I would never refuse a man who wanted to defend my honor."

Alistair watched the pummeling from the fountain door for a few more minutes and then went and got himself a drink.

"What's going on out there?" The soda jerk asked. "Do we need to break it up?"

"No," Alistair sighed. "That would just cause unnecessary damage. Let them get it out of their systems and then we can all move on."

"All right, whatever you say," The man replied and went to wipe down the counter as a loud sound rang through the air. Alistair finished his drink, plunked down his nickel, and went out to see if the fight was still going on and break it up if necessary.

But much to his relief, it had stopped with Klaus and Selina sitting together on a bench and Elijah approaching the soda fountain door. "If he sacrifices her, it won't be too soon," he told Alistair.

"Is that _really_ how you feel?" Alistair asked. He really couldn't help himself. "I don't think that's fair. Just because you feel like someone is an irritating pest doesn't mean they deserve to die."

Elijah sighed. "I suppose not, but…there are only two ways for my brother to get what he wants, aren't there? Either Katerina dies or _she_ dies, and I think I know which one I would choose."

"What if I told you that woman there was one of Katherine's victims?" Alistair said to him. "That she is a vampire, and the reason why that is is because Katherine made her that way (or, more accurately, _had_ her made that way) to save her own life? Would you be so eager to see her die then? Or would you want to try and save her?"

"How do you know this?" Elijah asked, pausing and fiddling with his tie.

"It's hard to explain, but I do," Alistair told him.

Elijah sighed. "Oh, all right," he said. "I'll do what I can to try and stop her from dying."

"Good man," Alistair smiled and clapped him on the back. "I think you'll be very glad you did that some day." He then watched as Klaus and Selina kissed again, Klaus' anger about Amy apparently forgotten. "Even if you don't see it now," he told Elijah, "you will. I promise."


	12. Humor Me A Little

With Selina coming in and out to be with Klaus, Alistair began to miss Astrid and even began thinking about trying to make peace with her, even though she hadn't spoken to him since the day he botched the marriage proposal. Finally, he took a deep breath and "ran into" her as she came out of Klaus' bedroom after polishing all the wood in there.

"What is it that you want?" She huffed, adjusting her maid's cap. "Make it brief, because I still don't like you."

" _Still_?" Alistair's jaw dropped a little. "How many times does a man have to apologize to get back on your good side?"

"If he ruined a marriage proposal, many, _many_ times," Astrid replied. "In fact, you'll be lucky if I take you back at all."

"Oh, dear god, this is terrible," Alistair growled in frustration as he pushed his dark hair back. "You're going to be more trouble for me than Klaus is, aren't you?"

"And what do you mean by that?" Astrid asked, hands on hips. "If you're trying to coerce me into being in a relationship with you, you are sorely mistaken. I won't allow myself to be cowed or bullied!"

"I know you think I'm a crazy man who's trying to bully you," Alistair told her. "And since you don't know what I know, it's totally understandable. But would you listen to me, please? If you and I don't make some sort of peace, several lives will be ruined!"

"That's a bit over-dramatic, don't you think?" Astrid asked him.

"No," Alistair shook his head as his dark hair whacked his cheeks. "I don't think so at all. Because, see…remember when I told you that I was from the future?"

"Yes," Astrid sighed, rolling her blue eyes. "That should have been the first sign to me that you weren't right in the head."

"Well, you're from the future too, but you don't remember because of the nature of the spell that was put on you," Alistair told her. "When we're where we belong, we're very happily married and we have a daughter and several children and great-grandchildren."

Astrid frowned. "Are you crazy? Is this some sort of trick?"

Alistair growled in frustration. This would be so much easier if they would just believe whatever he said! "No, it's not a trick!" He continued in exasperation. "It's…never mind. Nothing I can say will get you to believe me anyway."

"It'll be all right," Astrid told him, putting a warm hand on his cheek, the first physical contact they'd had in a while. "I'll talk to Klaus or Elijah about getting you the help you need." She then quickly strode away from him and after a few second pause, Alistair tried to reach Klaus before she did. He didn't make it, but even so, he was sure that Klaus would be more likely to believe him than Astrid.

"Aren't you the _least_ bit concerned that Alistair has lost his mind?" Astrid asked in desperation. "Is that the sort of help you want?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with him," Klaus shrugged. "As long as he gives me the help I need, I see no reason to upset our arrangement."

Feeling like he needed a friend, and having no one else to talk to, Alistair went and told Klaus that he was going out for a bit, promised he'd be back soon, and then headed out to see Amy. She'd always been a very calm person to be around. Maybe she could help him out. Or at least make him feel not so alone anymore.

* * *

But when he reached Amy and Jonathan's house, he was met with surprise and skepticism. "Are you here at Klaus' request?" Amy asked as she opened the door and stared at him. "Because I'm married to Jonathan now and nothing that silver-tongued devil of a master of yours can say will make me change my mind."

"I'm not here for Klaus," Alistair told her honestly. "I'm here for myself. I hope that even though things between you and him didn't go so well, you and I can still be friends."

"Of course we can!" Amy smiled. "Why don't you come in? You look troubled. Can I get you a drink?"

"Yes, please," Alistair nodded as Amy led him to the living room and sat him down. "I could really use a drink about now."

When he had his drink, Amy said, "Before you explain your troubles to me, would you like me to have Jonathan be a part of this as well? It might be easier to solve if two people are helping you rather than just one."

"All right," Alistair nodded. "I suppose it couldn't hurt, anyway."

And to be totally honest, Alistair was glad to have all the help he could get. Careful not to mention the whole time travel angle (since it hadn't worked with Astrid and he really didn't want either of these two turning against him as well), he only told them about Astrid and the failed proposal.

"Well, isn't that a shame?" Jonathan asked and clicked his teeth. "You seem like a perfectly delightful fellow. I don't know why she's refusing to speak to you. You didn't say that you would _never_ marry her."

"That's true, I didn't!" Alistair agreed. "But I don't know how to get in her good graces." He looked over at Amy. "Do you have a suggestion?"

"I suppose I could talk to her," Amy replied. "But it would have to be here, if you don't mind. Based on what happened between me and Klaus, I don't feel comfortable going to his house."

"That is completely understandable," Alistair agreed. "I'll see what I can do to get her over here."

* * *

"I'm going out for a little while," Astrid told Klaus. "I hope that's all right. I promise to get my cleaning done when I get back."

"Where is it that you're going?" Klaus asked.

"Oh, just to see a friend, that's all," Astrid replied.

"All right," Klaus nodded. "I'll be busy tonight myself."

"Are you taking Miss Warren to the theater?" Alistair asked. "Not those same horrid shows you drag me to. You're going to drive her away."

Klaus laughed at this and brushed Alistair's fear away. "I don't think so," he smiled. "You clearly have no idea about Miss Warren."

* * *

This was true, Alistair thought to himself later as Astrid and Alistair made their way to Amy and Jonathan's while sitting on opposite sides of a carriage. If this Selina was anything like the one he knew in the present, she probably _did_ have a bit of a dark side, and no Elijah to rein it in. It could be disastrous. But he had other things on his mind at the moment. He couldn't help Klaus if he didn't have Astrid to help him and hopefully, Amy could help her see him in a better light than she saw him now.

"So what's the matter with Alistair?" Amy asked after she and Astrid had settled into the parlor and Jonathan and Alistair had taken the carriage to his club. "He seems perfectly wonderful.

"He believes he's from the future!" Astrid cried. "And that I am too! What would you say if a man told you nonsense like that? Surely you wouldn't spend any more time with him, let alone marry him."

"Maybe if you took him to the doctor, they would make him better," Amy suggested. "Jonathan's father is a doctor. He can help him out."

"All right," Astrid nodded. "I do really like him when he's not being insane. I'll do anything I can to help him get better."

When Jonathan returned home, Amy took him into the kitchen to talk to him in private. "Astrid and I talked," she told him. "And we think that if we just had Alistair put in a place where he could get help…where he could be cured of this delusion that he's from the future, he and Astrid could have a future together. Couldn't you talk to your father about getting him admitted to the hospital?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Jonathan told her. "Admitting someone to the hospital is a very serious thing. They cage them up. Treat them like animals, don't do anything to make them better. And Alistair seemed very lucid when I spoke to him. We can't subject him to time at the hospital."

"Well, then, what do you think we should do about him?" Amy asked.

"Why don't we try humoring him?" Jonathan suggested. "Maybe all he needs is someone to believe him and that will help him out of whatever is ailing him."

"I don't understand that logic," Amy told him. "But I suppose if you think it will make Alistair better, we should do it. You _are_ the doctor's son, after all."

"You believe me?" Alistair asked Astrid, nearly crying with relief as he gave her a hug. "You don't know how happy that makes me! How much that eases my mind!"

Astrid smiled. "It's no trouble. Tell me more about the future. You said we have a daughter? What's she like?"

"Her name is Helene," Alistair replied. "She's dealing with things alone now, but she's so much like you, so calm and stable and organized, I think she can handle it."

"You do?" Astrid asked.

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "I do."

* * *

"I'm so glad we're doing this!" Christine commented as she, Matthew, Sarah, Percy, Helene, and Malachai sat around the lunch table at Malachai and Helene's. "Helene, this was a wonderful idea."

"Well, I just think it's about time we all worked on getting along since we'll be seeing a lot of each other for many years to come," Helene replied. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

Matthew and Malachai were struggling a bit more to find common ground.

"Have you ever hunted?" Matthew asked Malachai at last. "Because I hunt a lot."

"What is it you hunt?" Malachai asked interestedly. "It's not one of my prouder moments, but I hunted elephants and rhinos in Africa several years ago. I had to do some time traveling to do it, but it was quite an invigorating experience nonetheless."

"I…I hunt rabbits and deer," Matthew got out, feeling a little envious at the fact that Malachai had probably hunted all over the world. "I have dogs to help me. They and Sarah are very close."

"I'm envious that when you hunt you actually use your dead," Malachai told him to his surprise. "Most of the hunting I've done is just for sport and collecting trophies. Kind of shameful really."

"He and his group of hunter friends make an excellent rabbit stew," Christine got out, looking at her husband. "Maybe you and the boys could make it for Malachai sometime."

"Oh, don't trouble the man with that," Matthew told her. "I'm sure he has other things he would much rather do with his time."

"Don't be silly," Malachai replied. "I would love to come. If you'll let me hunt with you that is. If I just stayed in, I would feel useless."

"All right, sure," Matthew nodded. "Next time you're bringing Sarah back, we can do it then."

"All right," Malachai agreed. "Sounds good to me."

Later that night after he read Sarah a bedtime story and put her to bed, Helene took Malachai in her arms and gave him a kiss. "I'm so proud of you for how you got along with Matthew when we were visiting them today. I feel like you deserve some sort of reward."

"Oh, you shouldn't feel you need to reward me for being decent to the boy," Malachai said about Matthew, who ironically was much older than him. "I'm just glad that we've finally got this whole mess sorted out." He went and got a copy of H. Rider Haggard's _King Solomon's Mines_ , a novel that he'd loved as a boy and one of the works that had inspired him to go on a life of adventure. "Have you ever read this?" He asked. "There aren't a lot of women in it, but it's a treasure hunting adventure."

Helene took it and looked through it. It had Malachai's name in the front and the pages were full of notes in his handwriting. "This is one of your favorite books?" She asked.

"Well, yes," Malachai nodded. "Yes it is."

"And you…you want to share it with me?" Helene asked again, feeling touched that he was letting her in on something so personal.

"Yes," Malachai nodded.

Helene smiled, read the summary on the back cover, and then told him, "It sounds lovely. Let me get in my bathrobe and slippers and I'll meet you in your room. Would you like some tea or something? I'm making myself a cup."

"I wouldn't mind some," Malachai smiled and gave her one more kiss. "Thank you."


	13. Stories Of The Future

"So," Jonathan said to Alistair, "Tell me more about this future of yours."

"I don't know if I should," Alistair said and scooted himself back against the chair he was sitting in in Jonathan and Amy's living room. "I feel I've already said too much and it wouldn't do anyone any good if I was put away."

"That's why I have no intention of doing that if you talk to me," Jonathan told him reasonably. "Most of the time, you seem perfectly lucid and reasonable. So you're either telling the truth about coming from the future, which is entirely possible, or you're a very good actor, which could also be the case. Now tell me, which one are we dealing with here?"

"I'm really from the future," Alistair told him. "Now that I've said that, are you _certain_ that you won't put me away?"

"I won't," Jonathan swore. "I've seen the sort of pain doing something like that can cause and I don't want to put you through it. Now, tell me more about the future. Are Amy and I happy together?"

Alistair pursed his lips and averted his eyes. "I don't think you'll be very happy with my answer."

"Please just tell me anyway," Jonathan insisted. "I would like to know."

Alistair sighed then. "Actually, you being with Amy is probably causing all sorts of trouble in the future."

"Is it?" Jonathan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because where I'm from, you and Amy aren't married at all," Alistair got out. "She's married to Klaus and they have three daughters. You're married to the eldest daughter."

Jonathan's eyes widened. "That can't be true!" He cried, rising quickly to his feet. "It can't be that at any point in time, Amy feels a connection to that…that…" He then got overwhelmed and had to sit down, muttering angrily to himself.

"In my defense, I told you that you wouldn't like what I had to say," Alistair replied. " _You're_ the one who insisted I say something."

"I'm just glad that the future is changed," Jonathan told him. "It's much better for Amy that way."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Alistair cautioned. "The reason why she's with Klaus and not you is because she felt that your relationship happened much too soon. She broke off your engagement and then got herself a job and went off to see the world. Amy's much more independent than you give her credit for. The only reason why it doesn't seem like it now is because she doesn't remember being that way."

"And when she's in her right mind, she sees your friend as a better option?" Jonathan asked. He still couldn't get his head around that.

"Yes, I know it's odd," Alistair agreed. "Sometimes I question why Amy's so committed to Klaus as well. They've had their ups and downs, but it always seems to work out for them in the end." He paused. Jonathan still looked incredibly dejected so he said, "Would you like to hear about the daughter of theirs that you're married to? That might cheer you up."

"All right," Jonathan nodded. "Is she anything like Amy?"

"She has her moments of being like her mother, but she's actually more like her father," Alistair told him.

Jonathan heard this and made a face. "Tell me how in the world it is that I come to be attracted to a woman like that?"

"I really can't explain it," Alistair said. "Not very well anyway. You know her from childhood and become attached that way. You watch her grow up, and as she does, so does the amount of affection you have for her."

"That's all well and good, but if you expect me to risk putting Amy in danger again just because of some hypothetical woman, you are sorely mistaken," Jonathan told him. "I won't do it. I won't."

Alistair sighed. Although Jonathan had a point about having no reason to feel anything for Savannah until he knew her or at least saw her, Alistair had no way of giving him that without making things more complicated. But at the same time, he thought, he had to at least try if he expected to be able to save the future at all. "What if there was some way I could show her to you?" He asked. "If you could meet the woman you're actually supposed to marry? Would you be willing to do that and then let Amy do what needs to be done then?"

"Well, I think we should ask Amy's opinion, shouldn't we?" Jonathan asked, just as Amy's voice rang out, declaring that she'd returned from wherever she'd gone.

"Alistair!" She smiled and came over to take his hand. "How are you feeling today? Any better?"

"Yes, thank you," Alistair replied. "Much."

"He's been telling me interesting stories about the future where he came from," Jonathan informed her. "Apparently, you and Klaus are married there, have three daughters, and I'm married to the eldest one."

"Are you?" Amy asked.

"Yes," Jonathan nodded. "It appears so."

"And did I forget to mention that you adopted a girl named Mary who's a witch?" Alistair added. "I can't believe I forget that part."

"You really should take to writing novels," Amy commented. "You have a marvelous imagination."

"He's not imagining all this," Jonathan told Amy firmly. "It's real, remember?"

"Oh, yes," Amy flushed a little because they were supposed to go along with whatever Alistair said. "Of course. I forgot." She paused. "Does that mean you'd like me to start socializing with Klaus?"

"That would be the best thing," Alistair nodded. "Do you think you could find it in yourself to do that?"

"You know I would," Amy replied. "Or at least I'd be willing to give it a try, I suppose, if it means saving the future."

"How can you be so eager about this?" Jonathan cried. "He's a vampire! He tried to kill you!"

"Yes, but I am a witch and can handle myself if he tries it again," Amy replied. "Now that I've had time to think about it, I believe we married in haste. I know there will be repercussions for ending our marriage so quickly, but I think the future is more important, don't you?"

"What?" Jonathan asked, his jaw dropping a little. "While you're off saving the future, what am _I_ supposed to do?"

"That is a very good question," Amy said and turned to Alistair. "What _is_ he supposed to do?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Alistair told her. "Now, are you certain you want to restart your relationship with Klaus? You don't have to right away, you know. Things have probably gone so insane now that any other changes would just be a continuation of that pattern."

Amy thought a moment. "Maybe I won't commit to him right away," she decided. "Maybe I'll help him be more polished first. I'm sure with a little love and care, he can become more than the crazy man he is now."

"I suppose," Alistair replied. "Good luck with that."

"And you with Astrid," Amy smiled. "I'm sure your relationship with her is important in the future as well?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "Yes indeed, it is."

"I'll tell Astrid you want to talk to her later then," Amy said, putting on her hat and preparing to go out again. "Shall I?"

"You can try," Alistair told her. "But don't be surprised if you get a less than warm reply in response."

* * *

"Hello," Klaus said in surprise when he opened the door and saw Amy on the other side. "This is a pleasure. I thought for sure that I would never see you again. Come in, please."

"Thank you," Amy smiled and put her hat on the hat rack before he led her to the living room. "Would you like me to explain to you why I'm here?"

"If you'd like to," Klaus nodded affably. "But in all honesty, I just like your company. I don't really need to know the reason for it. And-" He paused and averted his eyes. "I'm sorry for how I behaved toward you at the theater. It's no wonder that you ran away from me. People usually do."

"Well, that's why I came back," Amy told him. "Now that I've had time to think about it, I'd like to help you be less scary. If you'd like me to, that is."

Klaus gave a little chuckle. "That, I have to tell you, is a very difficult job. Are you sure you're prepared for it?"

"If I can cope with finding out you're a vampire the way I did, I think I can handle helping you bring out your better self," Amy told him. "Don't worry about that." She took his hand just as a voice sounded out.

"Well, well, who's this?" Klaus looked over to see Selina in the entryway to the living room, her hands on her hips. "Care to introduce me to your friend, Klaus?"

"Of course," Klaus told her as she approached the chair they were sitting on. "Amy, Miss Warren, Miss Warren, Amy."

Selina's lip curled. "It's nice to see that you and she are on such intimate terms," she said.

"Don't be jealous," Klaus told her. "I don't know why you're acting this way. We've hardly been together long enough to feel things for one another."

Selina scoffed. "That's the excuse that every man I've come across uses." She turned around. "Maybe I'm better off without you anyway." She strode off and Amy bit her lip. "I didn't mean to upset her," she said.

"Oh, don't feel bad," Klaus said. "She was like that a lot." He opened his mouth to speak again, but this time, Elijah interrupted as he strode into the living room. "Was that Miss Warren I saw leaving, Niklaus? Is she planning on returning? Remember what you need her for."

"No," Klaus told him. "I don't think she is. We'll give her a bit of a head start and get her again later. You remember Amy, don't you brother?"

"I remember she married," Elijah replied. "What's she doing here? What have you done?"

"I haven't done anything," Klaus defended himself. "She came here on her own."

"I did," Amy assured Elijah. "Alistair's been telling Jonathan and me such interesting stories about the future and apparently mine and Jonathan's both hinge on Klaus and I being together."

"Is that so?" Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you poor woman. You have my sympathy." He strode off then and Amy said to Klaus, "So…would you really like my help? I want to make it clear right now that what I'm proposing will mean that we have no romantic entanglements whatsoever. We have to focus."

"Of course," Klaus nodded, focusing on her hair, which he reached out to play with as Elijah stood in the corner to make sure nothing bad was done to her. "I'm very good at focusing."

Amy gently detached his hand from her hair, stood up, and asked him to come to the library with her. "Now's as good a time as any to begin, I suppose. Is that all right with you?"

"Of course," Klaus nodded as they made their way to the room she'd mentioned and Elijah went back to his room. "I'm following you without any sort of complaint, aren't I?"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Jonathan's house, Alistair was trying to think of how to get Jonathan a connection with Savannah so he would go along with Amy and Klaus' relationship and not interfere any further.

Finally, he zapped up a photograph of her after shutting his eyes and managing to get hold of Savannah mentally. He explained the situation succinctly and once Savannah understood what was going on, she agreed to talk to Jonathan by whatever way Alistair concocted. "Here she is," he said and handed a picture to him. "That's her."

"She's beautiful," Jonathan replied. "But I still…I still don't feel any connection to her, even though I know you'd like me to."

So Alistair gave the picture a zap and it began talking.

"Hello," Savannah told Jonathan. "I'm Savannah. What's your name?"

"Jonathan," Jonathan got out. "Jonathan Putnam. I'm…I'm a friend of your mother's. Savannah. That's a very interesting name." He sat down on the sofa. "How did you come by it?"

She shrugged. "Mom just liked it, that's all. Daddy wasn't much of a fan."

Jonathan paused and looked at Alistair. "Am I really talking to her?" He asked. "Or is this just some sort of representation saying what I want to hear?"

"No, it's really me!" Savannah replied. "Alistair told me what happened. Mental conversation and all. You know how you can get hold of people if you think hard enough about them."

"Yes," Jonathan nodded. "I'm aware of that. Are you really from the future?"

"Yes, I am," Savannah replied. "And whatever you're doing right now, would you mind stopping that and letting my parents get back together? It's really causing trouble for the version of you that lives with me. You think that I'm your daughter and I have to give you medicine every couple of hours so you don't forget the truth: That I'm your wife."

"Thank goodness for them coming up with potions to help people with time-travel-related memory loss, right?" Alistair asked.

"Oh, definitely," Savannah agreed. "Can I ask how things are going with Mom and Dad while I'm here? I'm not going to be losing my memory too, am I?"

"No, I shouldn't think so," Alistair assured her. "Your mother began her crusade to make your father more even tempered not too long ago."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Savannah replied. "Because if neither Jonathan nor I had our memories, that would be a problem."

"Would you do me a favor?" Alistair asked. "Would you check on Helene for me? See if everything is right with her? Astrid and I are having difficulties and I'd like to know how badly that's affected her."

"I will," Savannah nodded. "I promise."

"Thank you," Alistair said and got up, looking at Jonathan. "I'll leave you two alone now so you can get acquainted. Don't forget to come up with a way to be able to contact one another again."

"We won't," Savannah replied. "The challenge will be what to tell present Jonathan if he catches us talking."

"I'll manage that," Jonathan told her. "No one knows how I think better than I do."

"Good point," Savannah replied.

* * *

When Alistair arrived back at Klaus', he zapped up a rose and went in search of Astrid. "For you," he said, handing it to her. "I don't suppose you and I could talk on your next day off, could we?"

"Would we be talking about the future?" Astrid asked as she smelled the flower. "Because while I'm still mad at you, I want to help you get better, because you seem like a very nice man."

"Yes, it would be," Alistair nodded. "It-It would help me greatly if you talked with me."

"All right," Astrid agreed. "On my next day off, we'll go to dinner and we'll talk. But that's it. Don't be expecting anything else afterwards."

"I won't," Alistair assured her. "For now, this is good enough for me."

* * *

"Savannah!" Malachai said in surprise when he opened the door and saw Klaus' eldest daughter with Amy standing on his front step. "Hello! What can I do for you? I don't have any news about your father's whereabouts, if that's what you came for."

"No, no," Savannah told him. "I actually came to see Helene. Is she here? Her father had some concerns because where he and Astrid are, they aren't exactly together. Is Helene having any sort of memory problems or anything like that?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Malachai said and invited her in. "I think it would be pretty obvious if she was, don't you?"

"Yes," Savannah nodded. "I'm sure that Alistair will be glad to know everything is okay."

"Who was at the door?" Helene called.

"Savannah!" Malachai called back. "She comes bearing messages from your father."

"Are you?" Helene asked after zapping herself in front of the sofa. "What's going on? Is my father all right? What about my mother?"

"I don't know about your mother, but your father seemed all right," Savannah replied. "Or at least no different than normal. He told me to check on you so that's why I'm here."

"Well, isn't that sweet of him?" Helene smiled.

"Yes," Savannah smiled. "He's working so hard to get me and past Jonathan on the same page so that Daddy and Mom can stay together."

"You think he'd like me?" Malachai asked Helene. "Your father, I mean?"

"I don't think he'd object to you since you make me happy," Helene told him and gave him a kiss. "I don't think you have anything to worry about when it comes to my parents. Mom's not the head of the Council anymore, so although she had some issues with you before cause of the whole court thing, they don't apply now, I don't think."

"Speaking of the Council," Savannah said, "What's going on there? I haven't been watching the news. Is it still a mess?"

"I would think so," Helene nodded, then turned just as Percy came through the door. "How was work today?" She asked. "Lots of trouble? Is anyone in charge yet?"

"They came up with someone this morning," Percy replied. "At least until they can do an official election."

"Oh, good," Helene nodded.

"And I have one more thing to tell you," Percy said.

"What?" Helene asked.

"Steve's wanting to bring someone back from the dead again," Percy told her. "Just thought you'd want to know. He told me to keep it a secret, but I had to tell someone. I mean, it worked out well last time, but who knows about this time around? It could go horribly wrong!"

"I'll call my daughter Lenora tonight," Helene promised him. "She's married to James and she'll let him know so James will keep an extra close eye out for any further shenanigans. And maybe talk to Clarence about it too. This could be another case where it turns out all right in the end, just like Andrew and Amelia did."

Percy sighed. "I hope you're right. Cause I just can't stand keeping secrets in like this. The stress eats me alive!"

"Come here," Helene said and gave him a hug. "It'll all work out, I promise."

"You think?" Percy asked as he put his arms around her.

"Yeah," Helene nodded as he gave her a smile. "It will." She then introduced him to Savannah as a way to try and take his mind off Steve's secret. They got along surprisingly well, and when she left, he was actually sad to see her go.

"Can she come back?" Percy asked Malachai. "I like her."

"Don't get too attached," Malachai replied. "She's married."

"I didn't mean it that way," Percy told him. "I meant as a friend."

"Well, all right," Malachai nodded. "We'll see if we can't get her to come around again then."


	14. Meeting The Other Woman

"All right now, time to get up, I-" Amy came in to wake Klaus in the morning and was met with a sight that made her shriek and run out the door. "Oh, for heaven's sake!" She called to Klaus who was standing naked by his bedroom window and staring meditatively out of it. "Why don't you cover up?"

"I didn't know you were going to be coming in," Klaus remarked, a smirk on his face. "And wouldn't it have been good manners for you to knock before you entered my room?"

"Yes, I suppose," Amy conceded. "I apologize. Now put a robe on! Please!" Now, situations such as this wouldn't have bothered her if she had any idea about their relationship and the fact that she was actually acting out a very common occurrence, but since she had no idea, she waited until she heard him assure her that he was dressed before she ventured into the room again, sighing heavily when she was met with the same sight as before. "So you aren't going to be a gentleman and dress?" She asked. "Well, all right. I guess I'll have to do it for you." She zapped him into some clothes and then ordered him to sit down.

"All right," Klaus said, smirking. "What is it that you would like to 'talk' about? Your poor relationship with your husband that sent you running back to me? He stood up and came over to play with her hair again. "You can make all the excuses you want, but I believe you and I both know why you came back here."

Amy stood still and tried to control her breathing. While she resented his know it all tone, she couldn't deny that she found him aesthetically pleasing. _Very_ aesthetically pleasing. He just needed a little polishing was all, especially his manners.

"I did come back for you," she confessed. "Would you like to be with me?"

"Yes," Klaus said immediately as he took her hand and began kissing her fingers. "You know I do."

"Well, I think that can be done," Amy told him and let him kiss up her arm while she let out a little gasp. "We just…we just need to do a little work on you first."

"What sort of work?" Klaus paused and looked deep into her eyes. "Do you want to make me more of a gentleman? You won't like me that way. I'll be just like your fiancé if you do that."

"True," Amy nodded. "That's something I didn't think about."

"So do you still want me to change?" Klaus asked.

"I don't know," Amy replied. "I'll have to think about it." She paused. "Is Miss Warren still coming around?"

"Not for reasons that will make her a threat to you," Klaus assured her. "And even if she tries something, you can always use your magic to put her in her place."

"I don't believe in treating people like that and abusing my magic that way," Amy told him. "I think it's wrong."

"Really?" Klaus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Then just what _do_ you do with your magic, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I do plenty of things with my magic," Amy told him. "Just nothing that would interest you because I don't do things that are self-serving."

Klaus heard this, chuckled, and pulled her to him. "I knew you would say that. You enjoy being moral, don't you? Always doing the right thing. Always doing what will make other people happy. But what about you? What will make _you_ happy, Amy? There's nothing wrong with being a little selfish sometimes. Why don't you let yourself have a little fun? Let me ruffle those perfect feathers a bit. You won't regret it. I assure you."

Amy thought about this. On the one hand, he did have a point. She _hadn't_ made a lot of time to be frivolous in her life because she'd always had to be the one to set a good example for her younger sister, Margot. But despite her best efforts, her sister was still as ornery as ever, so maybe now it wouldn't hurt her to try and have a little fun for herself. "All…all right," she got out. "Just…just let me do one thing first."

Klaus grinned widely. "All right," he said in a soft voice. "But don't take too long."

Amy then ran out of the room and went in search of Alistair. "Please tell me," she said when she found him. "Did you…did you tell me that Klaus and I are in a relationship in the future?

"Yes," Alistair nodded and stood up. "You are."

"So it would actually be beneficial for me to accept Klaus' offer for a tryst?" Amy asked.

Alistair raised an eyebrow. "He invited you into his bed and you're taking him up on it?"

"You just said that it would be helpful if I did!" Amy cried, her voice full of exasperation. "Why are you judging me?"

"I'm not!" Alistair assured her quickly. "I'm actually very pleased that you didn't spend a lot of time struggling with the issue. It makes things a lot less stressful for me because I don't have to think about your daughters losing their memories or disappearing all together because you two aren't together."

Amy's eyes widened. "Would that…would that really happen?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "It would. Now run along and do whatever it is you intend to do."

"All right," Amy nodded. "And thank you. I feel much better about doing this now."

"I'm glad," Alistair told her. "Enjoy yourself."

Amy went back to Klaus and sat on his bed as he shut the door behind her with a click that sounded very final.

"Are you all right?" Klaus asked her as he made his way toward the bed. "You don't have to be frightened. I won't bite you…unless you want me to."

Amy chuckled and met his eyes. "I have magic. I could turn you into a bug and squish you if I wanted. Why in the world should I be frightened of you?" She then took his face in her hands and gave him a big kiss. When she pulled away, his eyes were wide with surprise, but he didn't stay thrown off guard for long. He took her in his arms and kissed her again, his hands threading through her red hair. He then pulled it out of its pins and then he had her face the wall so he could help her out of her dress and corset before watching as she took off her other undergarments.

He then undressed himself and led her to bed. No time was wasted as she threw her arms around his neck and his lips met hers. "You don't have to be gentle with me," Amy whispered. "Please don't be."

"Are you certain?" Klaus asked. "I don't want you to do anything you might regret in the morning."

"I won't regret this," Amy told him. "Please. If I only have the courage to do this once, I want it to be an experience to remember."

"All right," Klaus told her and nibbled on her ear. "I won't hold back. I promise." Then, true to his word, he pushed into her and buried himself deep, leaving Amy to let out a loud shriek.

"Are you all right?" Klaus asked.

"Yes," Amy nodded as he hovered over her. "Thank you for checking. But don't stop now. That…that was good."

He pushed into her a few more times and when they were both panting with exhaustion, he said, "Do you need to stop now?"

"Not unless you need to," Amy told him.

"I don't," Klaus shook his head. He was about to assume the position again when Amy stopped him. "You're probably tired," she said, not believing the words that were coming out of her mouth. "Why don't you let me take the lead for a while?"

"Are you sure you can?" Klaus asked, feeling very intrigued.

"Yes," Amy nodded and climbed on top of him. "I think I can."

As a slow smile curved her lips, Klaus couldn't help but feel immensely aroused. How could she do it? How could she go from being a prudish schoolmarm to being…the woman who was currently straddling him and looking like she was going to eat him up? "Confess," he told her. "You're not as new to doing things like this as you would like me to believe, are you?"

"Oh, I assure you, I am," Amy said and leaned down to kiss down his torso. "It's just that I…I find you very attractive. Can you believe that?"

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "I believe I can."

"Good," Amy said. "Cause it's true." She then leaned down to kiss him and let out a cry as he grabbed her and gently moved her so she was underneath him on the mattress. "I think we should do this a lot more, don't you?"

"Yes," Amy nodded. "I don't see a problem with that."

"Even regarding your fiancé?" Klaus asked. "What about him?"

"I'll just explain to him that I can't, in good conscience, put the future at risk," Amy replied. "I have to be with you. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "That sounds all right to me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Alistair was going in search of Astrid. The next day would be her day off and he wanted to be sure they were still going out.

"Of course we are," Astrid told him. "I said I would and I'm not going back on that."

"Well, good," Alistair said. "Now that I know that, I'll leave you to your cleaning. See you tomorrow."

"Yes," Astrid nodded. "See you tomorrow."

Although the plan had originally been for Alistair and Astrid to have dinner on their own, to make her more comfortable, he asked Klaus and Amy to come with them.

"She's still angry with me and I thought that if you both came with us then she wouldn't think I was trying to ask for more than she's willing to give," Alistair explained. "You probably think I'm being ridiculous, but us being on good terms again is very important."

"Miss Burke," Klaus said as he looked at Amy. "Would you allow me to escort you to dinner with Astrid and Alistair so he doesn't make an even bigger fool of himself and things get worse than they already are?"

"Of course I will," Amy nodded. "But have more faith in the man. I think he could handle it without our help, but since he feels he needs it, we should give it to him."

"Thank you," Alistair told her. "That's very nice of you."

"It's our pleasure," Amy smiled. "I hope it all works out for you."

"Me too," Alistair agreed. "Me too."

* * *

Although Astrid was surprised to see that she and Alistair weren't going alone, she had to admit that she was glad for it as well. It wasn't that she didn't think Alistair was a good man or that she didn't trust him. She just didn't know what to say to a man whose head was clearly somewhere else than the present. And had a picture of another woman by his bed that he refused to explain about.

"So…how do we want to start this?" She asked.

"Well, I assume you'd like me to begin by apologizing for the whole engagement problem, wouldn't you?" Alistair asked.

"Well, yes," Astrid nodded. "That would be nice. And to explain to me who that pretty dark haired woman is in that photograph you have by your bed. You can't propose to someone when you have another woman in your heart!"

"You don't have to worry about her!" Alistair said. "That's Helene. I love her very much, but I love you more! Or at least in a different way."

"There you go feeding me nonsense again!" Astrid told him. "I thought the point of this would be to make up for your mistakes, not make them worse!"

"I can love both of you because Helene is our daughter!" Alistair told her, his voice desperate. "I'm not leading you on and having lots of women on the side, I promise!"

This gave Astrid pause. "Our daughter?" She asked. "We have a daughter? You and me?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "We do. Would you like to meet her when we get home?"

"All right," Astrid nodded. "I-I suppose I could."

"Well, good," Alistair smiled. "Was that why you've been out of sorts with me lately? Not only because of the engagement but because you saw that picture of Helene and thought I was leading you on?"

"Yes," Astrid admitted. "I guess you think me awfully foolish."

"It's not your fault," Alistair told her. "You didn't know."

"Well, I could have asked, couldn't I?" Astrid said. They ordered their dinner and then Klaus looked at Amy. "Do you think they need us anymore? It doesn't look like they do."

"Do you two need us to stay?" Amy asked Alistair. "Or would you prefer us to go back home and leave the two of you alone?"

"Well, ordinarily, I would say that it would be good for us to have a chaperone since we're neither engaged nor married, but if it's true that we're together in the future, I'm essentially having dinner with my husband and have nothing to worry about, do I?" Astrid asked.

"No, you don't," Alistair assured her and then looked at Klaus and Amy. "You two can go if you wish and find other, better ways to amuse yourselves."

"Oh, don't you worry about that," Klaus replied, giving Amy a look that made her blush. "I'm sure we'll be able to find a way to entertain ourselves until you get back."

* * *

"Helene! Helene, where are you? Can you hear me?" Helene was sitting on the sofa with Sarah, a small hand mirror at her side that she had brought out to amuse Sarah with. For some reason, playing with her reflection in the mirror just really made the baby have the time of her life, especially since, as experience had taught Helene, babies her age didn't recognize reflections to be themselves yet, so Sarah was just thinking she was having a conversation with a very interesting stranger.

Helene grabbed the hand mirror and talked into it as her father and mother stared back at her. "Hello, Daddy," she said. "Any problems with time you need me to fix?"

"No," Alistair shook his head. "We're good with that. It's just that…I wanted to introduce you to your mother."

"Hello," Astrid told her. "Are you Helene?"

"Yes," Helene nodded. "And have you been told that you're my mother? It must be a surprise for you since you don't remember."

"Yes," Astrid nodded. And who is that child? Is it yours?"

"No, I'm watching her," Helene replied, being really careful with her explanation about Sarah cause she wasn't sure how her parents would handle it. "I know her father and he and her brother are out bonding so I've agreed to watch her. Her name is Sarah."

"Hello, Sarah," Alistair said with a smile.

It was then that Sarah took the mirror in her little hands and began babbling.

"She's a talkative little thing, isn't she?" Alistair remarked.

"Yes," Helene nodded. "She is, especially with new people she's never seen before." She paused. "Do you need me for anything else? How are things wherever you are? Nothing is messed up, I hope?"

"Klaus and Amy are working on their relationship and as you can see, we're back together," Alistair told her and then looked apologetically at Astrid. "We are, aren't we?"

"Well, now that the misunderstanding that made me upset with you has been cleared up, I see no reason why we shouldn't pursue a relationship," Astrid agreed.

"We'll let you get back to doing whatever it was you were doing before we contacted you," Alistair told her. "Hopefully we all will be back soon so none of you children have to worry anymore, but who knows?"

"I trust you about that," Helene said. "You've given me enough talks about messing up time over the years that I wouldn't dream you would do it yourself."

"Good," Alistair told her. "Take care of yourself."

"You too!" Helene smiled at him. "Goodbye!"

The mirror then reverted back to just reflecting her and Sarah, and Helene gave it to the baby to play with while she took a call from Malachai to update her on how his and Percy's camping trip was going, which included an irritated rant about how hard tents were to put up, and how there was rain due that night which would mean they wouldn't be getting much sleep.

"That's the fun of nature, though, isn't it?" Helene asked.

"I wouldn't call it 'fun' exactly," Malachai replied darkly. "I just have to remember I've slept in worse conditions in my life. And Percy seems to be handling it well. Maybe he'll inspire me to feel better about it all."

"I hope so," Helene replied. "Other than the weather have things been going well?"

"Yes," Malachai replied. "I think so. It's been nice. What about you and Sarah? Good?"

"Yes," Helene said. "I just talked to my father. That was nice."

"Did you tell him about me?" Malachai asked.

"Not yet," Helene said quickly. "But I will soon, I promise." Then she noticed Sarah trying to put the hand mirror in her mouth. "Gotta go!" She said quickly. "You two have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow!" She ended the call and tried to pry the hand mirror out of the baby's grip. Sarah held onto it surprisingly tight and let out a loud cry when Helene finally got hold of it. "That's not for putting in your mouth," she said firmly. She then picked up a pacifier from the bottom of the play pen, stuck it in her mouth to get off the germs and then put it in Sarah's mouth. "There," she said and lay her down on her back. "Why don't you take your nap now? It's about time for it anyway."

Sarah just stared at her and then reached up, but when it became clear that it was nap time and she wouldn't get to get out of it, she finally settled down, shut her eyes, and fell asleep.


	15. The Gentleman and The Sufferagette

While Klaus was having his fun with Amy, Elijah was trying to find other ways to occupy his time since his brother didn't need him. He was going on a walk with Katherine in the park when they came across a rally of some kind.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Elijah asked her. "It looks like it's a bunch of women. A bunch of women in one place never leads to anything good."

"I bet it's a rally to drum up support for getting the vote," Katherine replied. "Do you want to go closer and see?"

"Not really," Elijah said as he tried to pull her away from the group. "We can't miss our lunch reservation."

But then he heard a voice ring out. "You! You, Elijah Mikaelson! Come up here." He turned and realized that the woman who was the ringleader of the rally was none other than his brother's fling, Miss Warren.

"Why should I come up there?" He asked. "So you can make an example of me? I don't think I will."

But she didn't take no for an answer. She got down off the stage and stuck her parasol in his back, pushing him to the stage through a gauntlet of women with varying reactions to him, ranging from vehement dislike to interest. When they got up on the stage, she began denouncing him. He listened quietly until he couldn't take it anymore, then grabbed her and kissed her deeply in front of the entire group.

"My god!" She cried and gave him a good slap. "You definitely don't have the manners of a gentleman, do you?"

"I would if I knew I was dealing with a lady," Elijah shot back. It was then that he grabbed her hand and pulled her down from the stage where she stood and, amidst boos from the assembled crowd, led her through them while he was pelted with things like paper and rotten vegetables, while some women even punched him and hit him with their parasols.

"Well, well, well," Katherine scoffed as they got back to her. "Look who it is!"

Selina saw her and then spat at her feet, which caused Katherine to wince.

"You just don't like anyone today, do you?" She asked.

"Do you two know each other?" Elijah asked.

"Oh, yes," Selina nodded. "I've had the displeasure of meeting her. She's why I'm going to be forever the age I am now."

"Now, now," Katherine chided. "I'm not the one who turned you."

"Well, no," Selina shook her head. "But I know you orchestrated the whole damn thing. Admit it!"

"You're welcome," Katherine smiled. "Eighteen looks much better on a person than fifty anyway. That's how old you'd be this year, wouldn't it? Fifty?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "Not that it matters."

"I hate to interrupt," Elijah interrupted as he pushed a piece of lettuce off his suit jacket. "But I would like to go home and change, if that's all right with you."

"Oh, of course!" Selina smiled. "You look like an absolute disaster."

"Thank you so much for that opinion that I didn't ask for," Elijah told her dryly. Then he looked at Katherine. "We'll go home, I'll change my clothes, and then we'll hope that we can still get a table at the restaurant."

"What about me?" Selina asked. "What will you do with me?"

"You will stay at my house until we can find some man to take charge of you," Elijah said firmly. "Do you have a husband?"

"No," Selina said. "Nor do I need one. I can get home on my own. I don't need assistance, especially from someone like you."

But Elijah shoved her into a coach and took her home anyway, her resistance lessening when she realized that her presence would probably annoy Katherine and she was more than happy to do that, no matter how much time she had to spend with Katherine's self-absorbed popinjay of a companion.

* * *

"Well, look at you," Klaus remarked as a bruised Elijah came through the door with the ladies behind him. They took off their coats and headed to other rooms so they wouldn't have to deal with each other anymore. "What in the world happened to make you look like such a mess?"

"I ran into your friend Miss Warren while Katherine and I were on our way to lunch," Elijah explained. "She was running some horrible rally and made an example of me. I got her away from there and brought her here until we can locate a man to take charge of her."

"So you still don't like her?" Klaus asked . "If I kill her, it will make no difference to you?"

"Kill who?" Amy asked, coming up behind them.

"No one," Klaus said quickly. "No one you need to worry about. It's not any of your business."

"If you're going to kill someone, I think it _should_ be my business," Amy replied. "You don't need to kill anyone. Who is the person he wants to kill?" She demanded of Elijah.

"Just a…just a woman named Miss Warren that he was involved with once," Elijah replied.

"I need her to die so I can become a werewolf," Klaus explained.

"I don't understand that," Amy said. "And I'm sure it's no reason at all to justify murder."

"I'll just let you two talk about this, shall I?" Elijah asked, gracefully excusing himself to go change. He headed to the bathroom and turned on the bath as he began removing his clothes. When he was completely naked, the door opened and then he heard a little squeal as he covered himself up. "Do you mind?" He cried before he saw who it was. "The door was closed!"

"Sorry," Selina apologized, her hand over her eyes, but with just enough space between her fingers so she could peek through. "I just…I had something that I needed to say to you while I still had the nerve."

"And what's that?" Elijah asked as he looked around desperately for a towel.

"I want to apologize for humiliating you at the rally today," she said. "It wasn't right for me to do."

"Well, thank you for saying that," Elijah replied. "But I would much rather have an apology about _this_ bit of humiliation, if you don't mind."

"Oh, all right, I'll go," Selina said. "But there's one thing I have to do before I go."

"And what's that?" Elijah asked as he finally tied a towel around his waist.

She then strode over to him, grabbed him, and kissed him. Her kiss was much longer than the one he'd given her had been, and he even felt her hands slide slowly down his back. When she finally pulled away, she said, "I just had to make sure it was as bad for you as it was for me. It was. I'm leaving now. Enjoy your bath!"

He had just relaxed in the warm water when a scream rang out. "Oh, damn!" He swore and climbed out of the tub, reaching for his bathrobe. "What now? What is the world coming to when a man can't enjoy a bath in his own home?"

But when he saw the source of the yelling, he was glad to know about it. The screams had come from Amy. While she and Klaus had fought about his intention to kill Selina, she'd grabbed a vase and hit him with it, which caused him to bleed. The sigh of the blood had apparently made her remember that she was a vampire, and she'd pounced on him, sinking her fangs in his neck and taking a long gulp before setting him down on the floor and beginning to cry.

"I'm a vampire!" She yelled at Elijah wildly, her mouth still covered with blood. Now that Klaus had had some time to adjust to the idea, he looked at her with a very aroused expression. "How could I not have remembered that? You don't forget something like that!"

Not sure what to tell her, Elijah called for Alistair. "Did you know anything about Amy being a vampire in the future?" He asked.

"Oh, damn, yes!" Alistair exclaimed, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry I didn't mention it to you before now," he apologized to her. "Do you need any help? Will you be all right? Time travel spells cause trouble with people's memories, as you know, and there's a really weird thing with vampires where if they don't remember they're one, it won't occur to them to act like one until they see blood."

Amy then tried to do magic and nothing happened. "How odd," she said. "I guess it's lucky that I ended things with Jonathan when I did. I doubt he'd have much use for a fiancée who's a vampire, but not a witch."

" _He_ might not," Klaus said as he got to his feet, the wound on his neck fully healed. "But _I_ do."

"That's a…that's a big relief," Amy told him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Are you ready to go to the restaurant yet?" Katherine asked, scowling at Elijah when she saw he wasn't even dressed. "Will we even be going at all? Probably not, at this rate."

"Yes, you will," Alistair nodded, zapping Elijah clean and putting him in a new suit. "There you go. Have a nice dinner, you two."

"Thank you," Alistair," Elijah told him. "And where did Miss Warren go? Do you know?"

"No," Alistair shook his head. "But she ran out of here pretty quick. Did you two exchange some sharp words?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "Not exactly. But now that she's gone, I hope that's the last I see of her beyond what my brother needs her for. I don't know why I would need her for anything else."

"All right," Alistair said with a straight face. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Because he couldn't help himself, once Elijah and Katherine had gone out, Alistair thought he would have to try and get hold of Selina and Elijah in the present, barely being able to contain his laughter as he thought of what they would say.

"Well, look who it is!" Elijah said when Alistair appeared in his bathroom mirror the next day because he'd not been able to reach them the night before. "I'm glad you can talk to us from the past because I have some questions for you."

"All right," Alistair nodded, a wide grin on his face. "Go ahead and ask them. I'll tell you all the humorous stuff going on with the two of you after."

"I've been having the strangest dreams," Elijah told him. "Dreams of kissing Selina in front of a group of angry women. Dreams of her striding into my bathroom while dressed in a nineteenth century dress and kissing me while I'm not even wearing a towel. Are those things just figments of my imagination?"

"No," Alistair shook his head. "Actually, those things have happened on my end. Apparently, even here the two of you still have feelings for one another, even though you don't want to admit it."

"Well, isn't that fortunate?" Elijah smiled. "I've heard from Helene about Savannah and Jonathan having trouble with losing memories and I'm glad it won't happen to Selina and me." He paused. "And did I really go on a date with Katherine?"

"Yep," Alistair nodded. "That happened too. Hopefully it won't be for much longer, though. I can't wait to see what happens with you and Selina. Right now, she's just the one Klaus is going to sacrifice to become a werewolf, but hopefully she'll become more than that."

"She will," Elijah nodded. "If I can get my head on straight, that is."

"Even if she's a sufferagette in this time?" Alistair smiled.

"Yes," Elijah sighed and then smiled. "Even if she's a sufferagette."

"Well, I should probably be going now," Alistair told him. "Your brother's wondering where I am, I'll bet. Or maybe not. Amy just remembered that she's a vampire, so he might be busy."

"It probably wouldn't hurt to check on him," Elijah replied. "Hopefully we can talk later."

"Oh, I'll definitely make an effort," Alistair told him and disappeared.

Elijah then went to the library where Selina was reading a book. "Were you ever a sufferagette?" He asked her. "Did you march to get the vote?"

"Of course," Selina nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just talked to Alistair and he said you and I are already butting heads where he is and, knowing myself as I do, I bet it's mostly because you're a sufferagette."

"That _would_ bother you," Selina smiled and came over to kiss him. "But for us, fighting's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it brings us closer together."

"Indeed," Elijah smiled and picked her up from the sofa. "What do you say we go work on our project?"

"Sure," Selina replied and unzipped his pants for him. "I'm feeling lucky."

"Oh, I hope so," Elijah told her as he lay her down on the sofa, pushed up her skirt, and removed her panties before slipping into her. "At the rate we're going, we're going to need all the help we can get."


	16. Getting Into The Undead Life

"Jonathan!" Amy said as she opened the door and saw her former fiancé on the other side of it. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check up on you," Jonathan told her. "Are you all right?"

"Of course," Amy nodded. "Come in." He did so and she took his hat and his coat. "It was sweet of you to want to come here and check on me, but it's really not necessary."

"Of course it is!" Jonathan told her. "Do you really feel like you can defend yourself against him?"

"Yes," Amy nodded. "I can…cause I'm a vampire, apparently."

"You…you're what?" Jonathan asked, his jaw dropping a little. He had heard about vampires all his life and couldn't believe that Amy was one of them.

"She's a vampire all right," Klaus replied, coming from a place so close to the front door that he had to have been eavesdropping. He put his arm around Amy's waist and smiled. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Well, well, I…I don't suppose there could be anything done about it now, can there?" Jonathan asked. "But how could you do that to her? Did you do it just to keep her with you and to spite me?"

"I don't know how it happened," Amy told him honestly. "I don't remember being bitten at all, least of all by him. I just…I saw the blood and then there were fangs and I was biting and…" she shut her eyes and swooned, which caused Jonathan to grab her before she hit the floor.

"I think you should lie down," he told her.

"Yes, she should," Klaus agreed, giving Jonathan a death glare. "And maybe you should go so she's not even more overwhelmed than she already is."

"Amy," Jonathan said firmly as he gazed at her. "Would you like me to go?"

"Yes," Amy nodded. "I think you should. If you stay, you'll just be disappointed in me, and I can't bear that. There's no use in pretending otherwise."

"You know I'm not like that," Jonathan told her. "You do, don't you?"

"Yes, but your parents are," Amy replied. "What's the use of us marrying if they're just going to disapprove? I can't bear your children or anything like that either. I think it would just be better if we went our separate ways."

"All right," Jonathan nodded, even though he was still uncertain. "I'll go. Goodbye, Amy."

"Goodbye!" Klaus said cheerfully as Jonathan left. "I hope you never feel the need to come back!"

"Wasn't that a bit unkind?" Amy asked as she wiped her eyes. "You didn't need to say it."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Klaus apologized. "I was out of line. Would you like to go find Astrid so she can clean you up?"

"Yes," Amy nodded, looking down at her blood stained dress. "That would be lovely."

So Klaus called for Astrid, who had just finished dusting in the dining room.

"Yes?" She asked when she came to them. "What is it that I can do for you?" She saw Amy and gasped. "What in the world? Are you all right?"

"I'm a vampire," Amy said, not sure if Astrid had heard the fracas. "I'm a vampire and that's where all the blood came from."

"Oh," Astrid nodded. "All right. Let's go get you cleaned up. It will be all right."

Amy was surprised at how easily Astrid had accepted the situation. She helped her to the bathroom and got the water running as Amy undressed and boosted herself into the tub.

"Do you need me to stay in here while you bathe?" Astrid wanted to know. "Having something like that happen to you really can shake a person up, so if you don't want to be alone, I understand."

"Thank you," Amy smiled. "I would love that very much."

Astrid went and got her some fluffy towels and then came to sit with Amy and chat as she washed herself off. "I hope this doesn't seem too strange for you to do this," Amy told her.

"No, it's fine," Astrid replied. "It's not a bother, really. And you're going to be all right as a vampire. It's really not as bad as the witches make you think."

"Can I ask how you know that?" Amy wanted to know.

"I don't know how I know," Astrid shrugged and pushed a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I just do."

"So you don't think I'm out of my mind for accepting a place in Klaus' house and bed?" Amy questioned. "He doesn't seem like the most stable man."

"Maybe not," Astrid agreed. "But I think you're safe with him. He likes you very much, and I'm sure Alistair will keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't hurt you." She shrugged.

"And where else would I go?" Amy asked. "My family won't take me back, and I don't feel like moving in with my sister." She then paused and said thoughtfully, "I suppose I can make a home here since I have no other choice."

"There you go," Astrid told her and handed her a towel. "You'll be all right. I know it."

* * *

"Would you like some coffee?" Astrid asked after knocking on Alistair's bedroom door once Amy's bath was done and she was reading in her room. "And I made some cake too, if you want."

"Well, thank you," Alistair smiled. "Aren't you sweet?"

"I try," Astrid smiled. "How's the plan to get us back to the present going?"

"Oh, getting us back to the present is not the problem," Alistair told her. "I know how to do that. The problem is getting you all to remember enough that you won't be lost and disoriented when we get back."

"It wouldn't be that bad, would it?" Astrid asked. "Have you ever been in a situation like this before?"

"No, this is my first time, honestly," Alistair confessed. "But don't let that frighten you."

"Oh, it'll take more than that to scare me," Astrid smiled. "Is there anything I can do to help you? Do you need me to convince you to take a break so you don't work too hard?"

Alistair chuckled and kissed her at that remark.

"What?" She asked. "What's so funny?"

"It's usually me that says that to you," Alistair told her.

"Is it?" Astrid asked, sitting on his lap. "Do I really work hard?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "All day at the Council, week after week." He kissed her. "But you come home after and we talk at night. It worked well enough for us."

"That sounds nice," Astrid smiled. "I wish I could remember it. And when we get back, I might not work so hard. I'd like to be at home with you more."

"I would like that too," Alistair agreed. "It feels so nice to say it. I've wanted to for years, but I never wanted you to feel like I wasn't supporting you."

"Well, when we get back, I'll try and do better by you," Astrid promised. "I don't like hearing that you feel bad because I work too much and leave you all alone."

"I wasn't always alone," Alistair replied. "Until just recently, I was as busy as you were, keeping an eye on Klaus and all. That's a full time job in itself. Then you decided that I should devote myself to other things, since my looking after him was supposed to be a punishment for a crime I committed many years ago and it no longer seemed like one. So you brought Amy in and suddenly I was struggling to find a way to full up my hours."

"I apologize for how I inconvenienced you," Astrid told him and played with his hair.

"That's nice of you, but it was probably a good thing that you separated Klaus and me in the long run," Alistair told her. "Although this situation that we're in now is comfortably familiar to me."

Astrid kissed him and said, "I promised you some coffee and some cake. I'll go get it for you now."

"Thanks," Alistair told her. "And get some for yourself too. I'd hate to eat alone."

Astrid brought the cake and coffee back, and Astrid made a toast. "To getting back to the present and a new and happy life together."

"Hear, hear," Alistair smiled. They clinked their coffee cups, drank their coffee, and ate their cake, and then she kissed him and said, "Would you like me to go ask Klaus if I can have a few hours off? I think you need a break."

"All right," Alistair smiled. "But I'll go ask him. You stay here."

Astrid smiled and nodded while Alistair ran to find Klaus coming out of his room with a bathrobe on. "If you don't need me for a while, I'm going to be spending some time alone with Astrid," Alistair told him. "Would that be all right with you?"

"Oh, of course," Klaus grinned. "I hope you have as enjoyable a time as I'm having."

"Me too," Alistair nodded, his jaw dropping just a little as Amy poked her head out of the room and he could tell she was wearing nothing but the sheet from the bed, asking Klaus what he was just standing in the hallway for.

"Alistair and I were talking," Klaus told her, grabbing her around the waist and letting the sheet fall to the floor as they kissed.

Alistair quickly averted his eyes and ran back to Astrid, who was sitting naked in his bed with a grin on her face. "I undressed while you were gone," she said as he undressed himself, joined her in bed, took her in his arms and gave her a kiss. "I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, I don't," Alistair assured her. "It was a very good idea. We can have even more time to ourselves now."

"That was my thought too," Astrid replied, clutching him tight as he slipped inside her, then pushed in and pulled out over and over again. Astrid gasped and leaned her head back. The pins were out of her hair and he could feel the silkiness of the blond strands draped over his fingers.

As she lay down on the mattress, Alistair smiled down at her before gently sucking on her nipples as he gently massaged her breasts with his fingers.

"You have a very light touch," Astrid commented. "I like it."

"Good," Alistair nodded and kissed her. "Anything to make you happy."

They went on like this for some time and then after taking a look at the clock, decided they better leave the room and get ready for dinner.

"We don't want Klaus to come in here and find us," Alistair said.

"I thought you asked him for the time off," Astrid pointed out.

"I did," Alistair assured her. "But that doesn't mean that he won't come in and tease us mercilessly nonetheless."

When they were both dressed, they headed to the kitchen and the cook began sending the food out.

"What's the matter?" Klaus asked Amy as she watched the platters of food be set on the table. "Not hungry?"

"I'm just…can I eat regular food now that I know I'm a vampire?" Amy asked.

"You can," Klaus replied. "It's quite tasty. It just doesn't have any nutritional value for you."

"Oh," Amy sighed and reached for a slice of roast and some salad. "That makes me feel so relieved." She paused. "I bet you think I'm stupid cause I've been eating all the time, even before I knew I was a vampire."

"Of course I wouldn't think you're stupid," Klaus told her. "You're very smart. You're very good. That's why I like you."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" Amy smiled. She cut herself some roast (cooked raw) and ate it slowly, savoring the flavor and wiping the meat juice off her chin. "That's really good," she remarked after she swallowed. When she saw Alistair and Astrid, she said, "Why don't you come and sit with us? Have some food! There's enough for sure."

"Would that be all right?" Astrid asked. She then noticed that Alistair was already sitting down and putting a napkin in his lap. Since Klaus didn't seem to object, she sat down too and took some oysters on her plate, opening the shell and letting the oyster slide down her throat. "Yes," she said as she closed her eyes. "Those are so good. I love oysters." She only had a little bit of steak because it was too bloody for her liking, but satisfied herself with the appetizers and dessert so that when the plates were cleared, she was good and full.

"I could help with the dishes," she offered to the cook.

"Oh, no," the cook replied. "The kitchen maids and I can handle it. You go rest yourself."

"All right," Astrid nodded and went to see if anything else needed dusting.

Then, before bed, she asked Alistair, "Is there any way we could talk to our daughter again? I enjoyed that."

"I'll see if I can manage that," Alistair nodded. "I'm sure she'd like to talk to you again too."

"All right," Astrid nodded. "Would you like me to spend the night in my bedroom or yours?"

"Your choice," Alistair told her. "Although I really don't like to sleep alone."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Astrid told him with a smile as she undressed and took a running jump into his bed, pulling him close as he threw the blankets over both of them.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Klaus and Amy's house in the present, things weren't so idyllic.

"What's the matter with you?" Stefan asked as Felicity lay on their bed, her face turned away from him. "You've been upset since you went to see Adrian. Did something bad happen there? Did he hurt you?"

"No," Felicity sighed and sat up. "I went to see him and he was bonding with other children. I interrupted." Her lip jutted out a little.

Stefan took her in his arms and said, "Do I need to hide all the sharp objects? I don't want you to start hurting yourself again."

"I won't," Felicity whispered and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I promise." Then she put her head on his shoulder and he rocked her back and forth a bit. Then she asked, "Can I have a little bite?" She asked, stroking his neck.

"If I can have one from you," Stefan whispered back against her ear.

Felicity smiled then and with a pounce, sank her fangs into his neck, sucking greedily until her mouth was so full, she had to swallow. She repeated the process two more times and then once the wounds had healed, she let him bite her.

"Feel better?" Stefan asked Felicity when they were both lying next to one another on the mattress.

"Yeah," Felicity smiled. "Thanks a lot. I needed that. And thanks for helping me when I get upset. It's nice to know I have someone."

"Not a problem," Stefan told her. "Compared to dealing with the drama of my mother and my brother, you're real easy to deal with. And next time you want to see Adrian, I'll come with you."

Felicity kissed him again as he laid her down on the mattress and helped her out of her jeans. A few minutes later, she forgot why she'd ever been upset in the first place.


	17. Riding In Uncharted Waters

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Amy asked as she and Klaus went out hunting at night. "I'm really new to this. What if I kill too many people and we get caught?"

"I don't think that will happen," Klaus assured her, taking her hand tight. "But if you're nervous, we can always slip out of town tomorrow."

"All right, good," Amy nodded. "Where would we go?"

Klaus thought a moment. "You know, Egypt seems like it's all the rage. Have you ever seen Egypt? Maybe we can go and find ourselves a mummy?"

"I don't know," Amy shrugged. "That seems a little scary for me. Going so far away from home." She then flinched as Klaus grabbed a man off a bench and exposed his neck to her. "Wanna take the first bite?" He asked.

"I don't know if I can," Amy told him.

Klaus shrugged, took the first bite himself, then offered the bleeding body to her. And this time, Amy pounced with ease.

She sucked greedily until the man was nearly empty and then dropped him to the ground in horror as her mind came back to her. "Oh, my god," she whispered as she threw herself into Klaus' arms, the man's blood still wet on her mouth. "Klaus, what have I done?"

"You've acted like a vampire," Klaus whispered against her ear as his arms came up around her and held her close. "I'm so proud of you."

"You shouldn't be _proud_!" Amy cried and stepped away from him. "You should be horrified that I did such a terrible thing!"

Klaus sighed, flashes of several memories popping up in his brain. Of him and Amy together, but in a place that he didn't recognize. Of them and three beautiful red-haired girls, of them hunting just like they were now, and Amy tackling the situation with gusto and then being horrified after.

"This is a common situation for you, isn't it?" Klaus asked. "Hunting and then being horrified that you did what you had to do to keep yourself alive?"

"I don't know how you could say that," Amy told him. "We discovered I was a vampire not too long ago. That doesn't mean you can say that certain behaviors of mine are long-term habits."

"I know, but I just…I had a vision of you and I and some beautiful red-haired girls," Klaus told her. "And something in those visions made me believe this isn't an uncommon situation for us. You know how Alistair's going on about all of us knowing each other in the future? What if it's true?"

"It better be," Amy said. "Because if you expect me to live with you and three other women, you're mistaken." She looked down at the man's body and winced, taking Klaus' hand. "Let's get out of here," she told him. "Before I lose my mind, kill someone else, and everything becomes a circus! In fact, let's head to Egypt just like you suggested. I would feel much safer thousands of miles away."

"Anything you say, my lady," Klaus smiled. "But first, before we make a run for it, there's something I need to do."

"And what's that," Amy asked as Klaus took her in his arms.

"This," Klaus replied. He deftly licked the blood off her mouth and then gave her a deep kiss. "All right," he told her after they pulled apart. "Let's go home and tell Astrid and Alistair about our plans to depart for Egypt as soon as possible."

"And we should ask if they want to come with us!" Amy suggested. "That would be nice."

"Of course I wouldn't go anywhere without Alistair," Klaus agreed. "And you probably need a ladies' maid to help you dress and all. There's no question they're coming with us."

"But surely they'll be allowed some leisure time as well," Amy said. "It won't be us making them do our bidding for the entire trip, right?"

"Of course not," Klaus shook his head. "If Alistair wants to do something with Astrid, he'll do it without any sort of prior approval from me. And I would bet the same could be said about Astrid, so don't you worry about them."

"Good," Amy smiled with satisfaction. "I'm glad I don't have to."

"So should we go and tell them now?" Klaus asked.

"Yes," Amy nodded and slipped her arm in his. "I really think we should."

* * *

"You want us to _what?"_ Astrid asked in amazement at dinner.

"Amy and I were thinking of heading out to Egypt in a few days to see the sights and try and get ourselves a mummy," Klaus told her. "Would you and Alistair like to come with us?"

"It's all so sudden!" Astrid told them. "When did you decide to do this?"

"Just a few hours ago," Klaus replied lightly. "So would you like to come with us, or not?"

"Is this normal?" Astrid asked Alistair, shock still obvious in her voice. "To be living a normal, slow life one minute and then just decide ride off to exotic places like Egypt the next?"

"Around here, yes it is," Alistair told her. "I would love it if you came with us. I really think you would enjoy yourself."

"I suppose I would," Astrid nodded. "And I really wouldn't want to leave you alone." She smiled. "All right, I'll come with you. When do we leave?"

* * *

"This is so exciting!" Astrid said as she stood next to Alistair on the deck of the boat with Amy on her other side. "I've always wanted to see somewhere exotic. Egypt is perfect! All the history and the pyramids and the mummies!" She clasped her hands together. "Oh, I can't wait!" She turned to look at Alistair, who was reading a book. "What are you looking at?" She asked. "The view of the ocean is so much prettier!"

"I'm reading up on some of the things we're going to see," Alistair told her without looking up. "I would be careful about the mummies if I were you. You don't want to end up like the Phoenix."

"Who?" Astrid asked, looking at the book Alistair was reading now.

"He was a warlock who tried to steal antiquities," Alistair explained. "They locked his body in a pyramid and say that if it's taken out, really bad things will happen. _Really_ bad things."

"You're making that up," Klaus smiled, taking the book from him. "I think I'll have a look myself."

"All right," Alistair sighed. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Klaus read it over, muttering the words under his breath before putting the marker back where it was supposed to be and handing it back to his friend. "What do you know?" He said. "That's exactly what it says."

"You don't seem too concerned," Amy said. "Maybe you should be. I don't put much stock in curses, but it could always be the one time that you're not on your guard that something could go wrong."

"Yes," Astrid nodded. "In this case, I'd have to agree."

"I know you ladies are nervous," Klaus said easily as he put an arm around each of them. "But you don't need to be. Alistair and I are here to protect you."

"That's very kind," Astrid told him. "But you have no magic. How are you supposed to protect us from a dark magical force?"

"I can think of something," Klaus told her easily.

Astrid rolled her eyes and left the rail to go sit on a deck chair next to Alistair. "Please tell me you don't let him take charge of things very often where you're from," she said. "I don't see that ending well."

"Oh, I don't," Alistair assured her. "In fact, you, Amy, and I run his whole life."

"We do?" Astrid asked. "Well, that makes me feel so much better."

Just then they heard a noise in Alistair's stateroom, which was nearby, and he ran into see what was going on. When he saw it was just Helene trying to make contact, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" He asked, coming closer to the mirror. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm sorry for disturbing you," Helene told him. "I know you're busy trying to get everyone to remember stuff so you can get them to the present, but I have something to tell you that I thought you'd want to hear as soon as possible. Is Mom around? She should hear this too."

"I'll go get her," Alistair said. "Just a minute." He went and got Astrid and they left Klaus and Amy staring out at the ocean.

"What's going on?" Astrid asked as she joined Alistair by the mirror. "What do you have to tell us?"

"Well, you might not be happy with me for doing this, but…" Helene held out her ring for them to see. "I just got unofficially engaged!"

Alistair raised an eyebrow. "Helene Rosanne Marie Fale, what do you mean by going and getting engaged before your mother and I have had a chance to meet the man? I gave you a pass with Adrian and we all know how well that turned out. This time I want to make absolutely sure that the man you marry will do right by you."

"And that's exactly why I said 'unofficially engaged'," Helene said. "Malachai is a gentleman. He's gonna officially ask you for my hand when you get back."

"Well, we better get a move on then," Alistair said. "We don't want to keep Malachai waiting forever."

Suddenly, Astrid blinked and looked very surprised. "Malachai?" She cried. "Helene, you got engaged to Malachai McCullough? Oh, my goodness." She sat down on the bed with her hand on her head.

"Well, look at that," Helene remarked. "Looks like Mom is starting to remember things. That's good, right?"

"Yes," Alistair told her. "But we still have lots to talk about, young lady. This conversation isn't over with."

"Well, lucky for me I wasn't expecting a warm reaction to the news," Helene told them. "I'll let you get back to ascertaining just how much Mom remembers now. Goodbye."

* * *

"So…how did they take it?" Malachai asked Helene as she sat down next to him and settled in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder so she could inhale the scent of the skin on his neck, and her bottom lip jutting out.

"They didn't take it well," she told him. "Not that I thought they would, even though I assured them that you would ask Daddy for my hand when you got back. The worst part was Mom. She very conveniently remembered who you were just when I let the news out and now she's dismayed with me too."

"We'll get it all sorted out," Malachai assured her as he kissed her hair. "It'll all work out well in the end."

"I hope so," Helene got out. "If this is how they react to us getting engaged, what will they say when I tell them I'm pregnant?"

"What?" Malachai asked in shock, his hand going still in her hair.

Helene gave him a weak smile. "You proposed just in time. Percy and Sarah are gonna have a new sibling." She got to her feet, swayed a little, and then when she was standing firmly on the ground, said to him, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to run to the bathroom and be sick, but I'll be back in a minute."


	18. A Day In The Pyramids

"Are you as worried about Helene as I am?" Astrid asked Alistair. "I mean, I know she's a smart girl, but choosing the right man has never been something that she's good at. She gets into romances and lets herself become carried away by them, only to be fooled later." She sighed. "We need to get home as quickly as possible so we can stop this."

"I'll try," Alistair assured her. "Believe me, I will. Cause really, I'm as worried about this as you are. But it's not going to happen now, so let's try to enjoy Egypt as much as we can and worry later."

"All right," Astrid nodded. "I agree, although it would be a lot easier if I was still ignorant of everything."

"I know," Alistair sighed. "I know."

They'd arrived the night before and taken up residence at a hotel that full of primarily wealthy British people and others from on the continent. The only native people there were in positions as bellhops or stewards, something Astrid found ridiculous, but there it was.

Klaus and Amy had taken their baths early that morning and having nothing like a daughter engaged to a possibly unstable man to occupy their minds, had taken off to see the pyramids with a promise to meet Alistair and Astrid for lunch.

"So what do you want to do now?" Astrid asked. "Try and go find Klaus and Amy so we can look at some pyramids? Especially the one that that Phoenix guy is stuck in?" She managed to crack a smile and loom behind him menacingly. "And try to avoid the big scary curse of the mummy wizard?"

"I don't believe in curses," Alistair told her firmly. "At least not curses like that, anyway. They're just stories to draw in tourists. However, you're right that the Phoenix's tomb _is_ something I'd like to see. Let's go so we can have our look before it gets too hot out and we're both miserable."

"All right," Astrid agreed. "Let's do that."

* * *

When they reached the Phoenix's resting place, they were surprised to find only Klaus and Amy there, and no one else.

"Slow tourist day?" Alistair asked. "I thought this place would be crawling with eager people wanting to have a look."

"When we got here, that was true," Amy agreed. "But then Klaus compelled the guards to keep everyone but us and those we deemed worthy. So we get to see it all at our own pace. Isn't that nice?"

Alistair narrowed his eyes at Klaus. "I disapprove of your methods, but because I know that you're doing this as a favor to me, I'll spare you the lecture and say nothing more than 'Thank you'."

"You're welcome," Klaus smiled and gestured toward the pyramid. "Now would you like to take Astrid and go in first?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded and took Astrid's hand, leading her into the pyramid. He then zapped himself up a torch and Astrid let out a shriek as the light stirred up the seemingly thousands of bats that had been peacefully roosting inside the pyramid.

"Oh, my god!" Astrid cried, clawing at her head. "Are there bats in my hair? Are there bats in my hair?"

"No," Alistair replied, quickly pulling her close against himself as all the bats flew en masse out an opening in the pyramid wall. "They're all gone. You're safe."

"Well, good," Astrid shuddered and held onto him a bit longer. "Cause I really _do_ hate bats."

"Are we interrupting something?" Klaus asked as he approached them. "Cause if so, we can always go to another part of the pyramid and come back later."

"No, we're fine," Alistair promised as he and Astrid pulled apart and she made an effort to straighten her hair. "We had a run-in with some bats, but they're gone now."

"Good," Amy nodded. "Cause I don't like bats either. Now does anyone know where the mummy might be? I wanna see it."

"I like that attitude," Klaus told her. "I wasn't expecting you to say 'Let's go find the mummy' right away. I was expecting you to give a lecture about how we're interfering with Egyptian culture and how this plan is ridiculous and things like that."

"Of course not," Amy told him firmly. "Why would I say that when I want to see the damn mummy as much as any of you?" She picked a hallway and strode off while Klaus and Alistair looked at one another.

"It seems you hit a nerve," Alistair said at last. "You want to go try and catch up with her so she doesn't get lost?"

"Well, it's not like I know where I'm going," Klaus told him.

"But it would be much better if you two got lost together," Alistair explained. "You don't just want her to be alone, do you?"

"Well, no," Klaus shook his head. "But-" He broke off then and burst into laughter. "All right, I can take a hint," he said. "But if you and Astrid want to kiss in privacy, all you have to do is ask."

He strode off then and Alistair gave Astrid a look. "I swear that I meant that he really should look for Amy," he told her. "It had nothing to do with us kissing."

"Well, and why not?" Astrid asked and pushed him up against the pyramid wall, kissing him deeply. After she backed away, she grabbed his hand and began running, pulling him along after her. "Now, we have to go find that mummy. No point in letting Klaus and Amy have all the fun."

"Okay, but slow down, please," Alistair begged. "I'd like to keep my arm in its socket!"

Astrid heard this and slowed down a bit, and soon, they joined Klaus and Amy in the dark room where the mummy was being kept. Alistair zapped up a couple of torches so the room went from dark to dimly lit, and the four of them stood around the coffin, looking at it with reverence.

"What do you say we open it up?" Klaus asked and began pushing at the lid.

"No!" Amy pushed his arm away. "Don't do it! You don't know what you could be releasing! Looking at it should be good enough for all of us."

"Fine," Klaus told her through his teeth. "If I can't open it now, I'll open it later. I wonder who I can talk to about buying this thing and bringing it home with us."

"And I will compose my lecture about how silly that sounds so I can read it to you on the trip home," Amy replied. "Does that sound like a plan?"

"Of course it does," Klaus told her. "It's not like you'd give me any room to object."

"To change the subject," Astrid broke in as she caught her husband's eye. "What did this Phoenix do to end up here?"

"Well," Alistair smiled. "It's not really a change of subject, because he got in trouble for stealing antiquities and doing shifty things with them. That, combined with his use of dark magic, made the authorities lock him away here, but just before they buried him alive, he swore that he would rise up again to ruin the lives of those who had had a hand in what happened to him. That's why he's called the Phoenix."

"How could he have been buried alive?" Amy asked. "The coffin is above ground."

"After his death, some unscrupulous people dug him up and put him on display. They were gonna open the coffin and expose him too, but apparently they just weren't brave enough for that. Thus, here he is."

"Now how do you feel about wanting to take him home?" Amy asked Klaus. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"No," Klaus shook his head, a smile curving his lips. "That little story just makes me more determined than ever to have it."

* * *

"What's going on?" Helene asked as Savannah let her in the house, took her coat, and ushered her to one of the living room couches. She was surprised to see that Vivi and Rosalie were already there with their spouses and the way they looked at her, it was as if they'd been waiting for her. "Hi, everyone," she told them, chuckling nervously because being stared at by a bunch of people who weren't blinking was quite unnerving. "What's going on? Why am I here?"

"Well, we just wanted to know if, with your father's skill dealing with time travel, you've talked to him recently," Vivi asked as King squeezed her hand tightly.

"Oh, yes, I have," Helene nodded. "Told him about my engagement. It didn't go as well as I hoped. Now Mom remembers everything and they're not so happy with me." She paused. "Are you wanting to know if my father can get Klaus and Amy to talk to you?"

"Yes," Rosalie nodded. "And our mom. We just want to know if our parents are okay."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Helene shrugged. "I'll see what I can do." She paused and looked at them. "Does one of you have a compact mirror or something that I can use to call them up with? We can crowd into a bathroom, I suppose, but if there are other options, I would prefer to use those."

"There's a mirror by the door," Jonathan told her. "Did you miss it when you came in?"

"Yes, I did," Helene said as she went to examine it. "Okay, everyone. Come crowd around."

When they were all standing in front of the mirror, Helene called up her parents.

"What is it?" Alistair asked when he saw her. "Any more news that you feel you need to tell us? Might as well get it all out now."

"No, I'm not calling for me this time. Where are Klaus and Amy? The girls want to know if their parents are okay."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Alistair said, his tone becoming lighter. "Just a minute. Let me get them. But just so you know, Amy's still a little out of it. She might not remember them. But seeing them could bring some memories back completely."

A few minutes later, Klaus and Amy replaced Alistair and Astrid on the other side of the mirror, with Amy saying immediately after she saw her three daughters, "I've seen all of you before! Who are you? You're not women I have to share Klaus with, are you?"

The girls all looked at one another and tried to decide who should answer Amy's question. Finally, they decided on Vivi, who was more like her mother than either of her sisters.

"Yes, we are women you have to share him with, but not in the way you're presumably thinking," she assured Amy. "We're your daughers. Not his mistresses. I'm Vivi, and the other redheads are my sisters, Rosalie and Savannah."

"Oh, you're my _daughters!"_ Amy nodded. "All right. That makes me feel better." She tried to wrack her brain for any more memories of the girls but nothing was coming yet. But at least the fact that they weren't his mistresses was a start.

"Are you okay?" Rosalie asked. "You're not sick or anything, are you? And will you bring us presents?"

"Your father wants to bring you a mummy," Amy told her. "Does that count as a present?"

"I suppose it's better than nothing," Rosalie sighed and stepped back.

"You seem okay," Savannah said. "That's a good thing. Any idea when you'll be getting back to the present?"

"Oh, I don't know," Amy told her. "But Alistair's figuring something out. I'm sure we'll be back soon. Us and my memory."

"That's all we wanted to know," Vivi told her. "You can go about your business now."

"All right," Amy nodded. "And hopefully next time we talk, I'll remember you."

"Goodbye, girls," Klaus smiled. "I'll see you when you get back. And you'll be happy to know that I remember you better than your mother."

"What?" Amy asked. "How come?"\

Klaus shrugged. "Maybe it's because I'm not magical anymore. Who knows?"

The girls ended communication their parents bickering, thanked Helene for what she had done, and then asked her to stay for a drink so she could tell them more about the baby and what was going on with Malachai.


	19. A Lost Gift

"I think we need to get home as soon as possible," Alistair told Astrid. "I need to see Helene about that fiancé of hers before anything else happens without us knowing about it."

"Exactly," Astrid nodded. "And everyone seems to know who they are again, so it's not like we'd be going back as people who don't know anything." She paused. "But Klaus probably won't want to go back until he has his mummy."

"That's right," Alistair nodded. "So we'll just tell him next time we see him to work on that so we can leave."

But the next time they saw Klaus, he seemed really put off.

"What's going on?" Alistair wanted to know. "Would you work on getting that mummy you promised the girls so we can get back home?"

"You know, I would love to," Klaus replied. "But now I don't know how long that will take."

"Why?" Alistair asked. "What's happened? Did the government discover what you're doing and try and stop you?"

"No," Klaus shook his head. "It seems I have some competition for the damn thing: Lucien, the first vampire I ever made. I've told you about him, right?"

"You've told me about a lot of vampires you've turned," Alistair said. "I can't keep them all straight."

"But he was my first vampire!" Klaus cried, looking offended. "How could you forget hearing the story of the first vampire I ever turned?"

"Well, you have a very soothing voice," Alistair said. "And sometimes when you speak, I tend to drift off."

"Am I supposed to be flattered by that?" Klaus asked. "Cause I'm not."

"If you want to tell me the story of how you created Lucien, go ahead. I'd be more than happy to listen," Alistair said.

"No," Klaus shook his head and crossed his arms. "You don't care anyway and I have to go wrestle the mummy away from him before he takes it and runs off with it."

"Okay," Alistair sighed. "Would you like any help?"

"No, thank you," Klaus told him. "I can manage on my own." He strode off and Astrid came into Alistair's arms before saying, "We're not leaving any time soon, are we?"

"Nope," Alistair shook his head. "Sorry, my dear. It doesn't look like it. Not if I don't want to hear the end of it from Klaus when we arrive in the present, that is."

* * *

"Well, well, well, look who it is," said the voice as Klaus raced back into the pyramid. It was dimly lit so he couldn't see anything of the speaker above the waist, but he could hear his voice. "What kept you? I've been waiting all day."

"You don't seem disappointed that I came, Lucien," Klaus told him. "I thought you would take advantage of my absence, grab the mummy, and run for it."

Lucien laughted. "Yes, that would be easy, wouldn't it? Much _too_ easy. If I'm going to beat you, I would enjoy it much more if I saw the look on your face while I did it."

"Well, if I'm here, there's no way you're going to win, don't you know that?" Klaus asked. "Come into the light so I can see your face."

"All right," Lucien said. He came out of the shadows, his lithe body lit by Klaus' torch. "Hello, creator," he greeted. "It's been an awfully long time, hasn't it? Did you just come here to get a mummy, or did you know that I was going to be here?"

"I didn't come here strictly to see you, if that's what you're wondering," Klaus told him as they both advanced toward the sarcophagus that held the Phoenix's mummy. "What do you want this for, anyway?"

Lucien shrugged. "Can't a man just collect antiques? Everyone else is and I want something to talk about at parties. Why do _you_ want it?"

Klaus opened his mouth to say and then quickly shut it. One of the things he'd taught Lucien right after turning him was never to reveal weaknesses to anyone because they wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of them. And if Lucien knew about the girls and Amy, that's exactly what he would do. But then again, they _were_ in the past, so the chance of him getting anywhere _near_ Klaus' wife or daughters was very remote.

"I'm getting it for a friend," he told him. "I promised them gifts on my trip to Egypt and this is what I decided on."

"My goodness, they must be _some_ friend to warrant such an extravagant gift from you," Lucien told him and went to stand on one side of the sarcophagus while Klaus took a position across from him with both his hands palm down on the lid. A smile curved his lips. "It's not a woman friend, is it? A lady you're trying to impress?"

"No," Klaus shook his head. "It's not. Who do _you_ want the mummy for?"

"I'm no fool, I remember what you taught me," Lucien said. "It's my own business."

"Well, regardless, the mummy is mine," Klaus told him. "Good day, move along now."

"Oh, no!" Lucien cried, taking the other side of the lid and pulling just as hard as Klaus was. With strong grunts, they got the lid off and then scrambled to get the lid off the inner coffin. But when they got it off, they were shocked at what they saw. There was no mummy. The coffin was empty.

"You know what, friend?" Lucien said, giving Klaus a tight lipped smile as he backed away from the empty tomb. "You can have it. I'm not gonna fight you anymore. What would the point be?" He left Klaus alone in the dimly lit pyramid with the empty coffin. Klaus looked in it a few times to see if it really was empty and then when he had to concede that it was, he gave a tired sigh, headed back to Amy, and tried to think of where the mummy had gone.

* * *

"I'm sure the girls won't mind if you don't get them that _exact_ mummy," Amy assured him when he told her what happened. "I'm sure any mummy will do. As for that one, it was probably stolen in a tomb robbery or something. That happened a lot."

"I don't think he was taken as part of a tomb robbery," Klaus told her. "I believe Alistair said this man was particularly feared in life so no one would want to go near him in death."

"What about the person that moved his burial from the really hidden place to the really open place?" Amy asked. "Clearly _they_ had a vested interest in him."

Klaus sighed. "Well, whatever. The important thing is that the mummy I wanted so badly is gone, and none of the other ones are good enough."

"I'm sorry," Amy said and gave him a kiss. "What can I do to make you feel better?"

Klaus smiled at this and took her in his arms to carry her off to their room. "I can think of a thing or two that might ease my pain for a while, anyway." He paused. "Oh, and if you run into a man named Lucien who says he's a friend of mine, say nothing about your association with me."

"Why not?" Amy asked when he sat her down on their bed. "I find it very interesting to meet your friends."

"He's not so much a friend as the first vampire I ever made. And I made the mistake of teaching him to take advantage of people's weaknesses, which means that if he finds out about us, he'll use you against me and I don't want that to happen."

"All right," Amy nodded. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Please do," Klaus told her, putting his hands on either side of her face and looking deeply into her eyes before kissing her deeply and easing her against the mattress to undress her. "Please do," he said before stripping down himself and then parting her legs to enter her as she threw her arms around his neck, thrusting over and over as she panted loudly. "I wouldn't want to lose you to him. That would be a nightmare."

* * *

"Do you really think that Daddy's gonna bring us a mummy?" Rosalie asked Savannah as she shook her curly red hair out of her eyes. "Cause I really, _really_ want a mummy."

"Who knows what we'll get?" Savannah replied. "I just want it to be shiny."

"I like talking about this with you rather than Vivi," Rosalie told her older sister with appreciation. "If it were Vivi I was talking to, she would go on and on at length about how wrong it is to take mummies for our own personal amusement. That's no fun."

"Well, at least Vivi was made the boring one so you and I could have as much fun as we want," Savannah said. "Ronan's working at Roxie's tonight. You wanna go see him?"

"Sure," Rosalie replied. "I'd ask Aaron to come with us, but that place makes him nervous."

"Of course it does!" Savannah cried. "But that's what he gets for trying to sneak in there when he was still human. He was lucky you were there to save his sorry ass."

"Yeah," Rosalie smiled as she thought of her blond boyfriend. "It was totally worth it."

"Since humans are your type, I bet it was," Savannah told her before going to tell Jonathan that she and Rosalie were heading out.

"We're going to Roxie's," she said. "Wanna come?"

"No, thank you," Jonathan told her, pushing some of his dark hair out of his eyes. "And remember we have dinner with Mary and Liam tonight so please…don't drink too much."

"All right," Savannah said and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I promise I won't. See you later."


	20. The Overtures Of A Cad

"How the hell did you find your way here?" Klaus yelled at the visitor on the other side of the door when he went to answer the knock. "It isn't like I gave you an address or anything! Is there a reason why you're here?"

"Temper, temper," Lucien smiled and then stepped over the threshold. "Now I'm even _more_ curious than I was on the way over here. What is it that you're hiding that you don't want me to see, Klausy?"

Klaus growled. "Don't you _ever_ call me that!"

"Why not?" Lucien chuckled. "I think it suits you." Just then, his face changed as he saw something over Klaus' shoulder that pleased him. "Hello," he said with a smile. "And who might you be?"

Klaus sucked in a breath as he heard Amy's voice in response. "I'm Amy, Klaus' wife. I just came to see who was at the door. We weren't expecting to get visitors."

"I figured as much," Lucien said and kissed Amy's hand while Klaus seethed. "But your husband and I are old friends and it's been so long since we've seen each other that I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. My name is Lucien."

"How nice," Amy told him. "Why don't you come in and sit down. Can I get you anything?"

"You can get him his coat and show him the door!" Klaus yelled. "Amy, either you do it, or I will!"

"Why do you always act like this when people come to visit you?" Amy yelled back. "Can't you at least be civil to people for a couple of hours?"

"No!" Klaus shook his head. "Because you should know that the kind of people who want to come and see me (with a few exceptions) are bad people and want to do nothing but cause trouble in our lives."

"This is fun," Lucien interrupted before Amy could reply. "Do you shout at each other like this all the time?"

"We try not to," Amy reassured him. "We usually resolve our differences in calm voices. This isn't typical behavior for us, I promise."

"Amy, will you please go find something to do that will take you away from here?" Klaus asked. "Out of this room, I mean? Go see if Astrid or Alistair needs help with something and I'll tell you when you can come back."

"You can't just tell me what to do," Amy told him. "I don't appreciate that one bit."

"I know you don't, and I'm sorry," Klaus apologized through his teeth. "But can you just go, please? I'll explain later."

Amy rolled her eyes and stomped off while Klaus sat across from Lucien. "What do I have to do in order to make you go away?"

"What a nice and stunningly pretty wife you have," Lucien remarked. "I never thought you'd go for redheads."

"You don't know me as well as you think you do," Klaus told him. "I promise you that. Now, answer my question. If this is about the mummy, then there's really no point, since neither of us know where it is."

"How do I know that?" Lucien asked. "How do I know you didn't just take it and hide it?"

"I get the sense that your desire for this mummy is about more than wanting to show it off to people at parties," Klaus told him. "What do you _really_ want it for? Tell me this time?"

"No," Lucien shook his head. "I'm not going to." He then got up and strode away, not taking time to tell Klaus where he was going. When he walked past the room where Amy was reading, she called out for him.

"Could you come in here a minute, please?" She asked.

"Of course," he said and came to sit down next to her. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, nothing," Amy shook her head. "I was just wanting to apologize for the display that you had to witness earlier. It was very uncouth of us to show you something like that when all you came for was a pleasant visit."

"That's fine," Lucien told her. "I've seen _much_ worse and lived." He paused. "So…you and Klausy. What is it that you see in him, anyway?"

"In all honesty, it's kind of hard for me to explain," Amy replied. "We've had a few difficulties, and when I first met him, his appeal was that he was someone I could help. But then it ended up that he was able to help me, too. Bring me out of my shell. That's what holds me to him, I suppose." She shrugged.

"Interesting that he'd let a human tell him what to do," Lucien said. "You must be very charming."

"I'm not a human," Amy shook her head. "I'm a witch. Well, I _was_ a witch, but then I had to be turned into a vampire."

"Is that so?" Lucien leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Fascinating. And just how long ago was that?"

"It wasn't long ago," Amy told him. "I'm not that old, if that's what you mean."

"I would never presume to ask a lady something like that," Lucien replied. "But tell me something: Are you positive that you're happy here with him?"

"Of course I am!" Amy said and slapped him. "You don't have any business asking me such a question! And even if I _wasn't_ happy in my current situation, the last thing I would do is run off with a nearly complete stranger."

"Even a very handsome, debonair stranger such as myself?" Lucien asked.

" _Especially_ a stranger like you," Amy said firmly.

It was then that Lucien took hold of her arms and looked into her eyes. "Why don't you at least give me _one_ kiss?" He asked. "Then you can walk away without any sort of regret."

"All right," Amy nodded and then leaned forward to kiss him.

It was while they were having their lingering kiss that Alistair came upon them, wanting to ask Amy for help regarding what he should tell Helene about her engagement. He watched them for a few seconds until what was happening finally registered. Then, he quietly slipped away and tried to think about how to handle this.

He couldn't tell Klaus. Not that he thought what Amy was doing was genuinely her choice. Lucien was probably using some sort of mind trick on her. He seemed like just the type. If Klaus was told, it would just start all kinds of trouble that Alistair didn't want to deal with. He had a big enough headache already with the problems in his _own_ family without adding other issues to them.

He headed back to the living room and Klaus rose from the sofa and said, "Have you seen Lucien, Alistair? He ran off and I have no idea where he is, or what sort of trouble he could be causing."

" _Is_ he causing trouble?" Alistair asked, trying to ignore his conscience that was shouting for him to tell Klaus the truth. "If he is, I don't know anything about it." Then his conscience overcame his urge for peace and he groaned. "I _do_ know where he is, actually. He and Amy are in the library and I saw them kissing!"

" _What_?" Klaus cried. "Did you just watch it happen, or did you stop them?" He ran toward the library and Alistair hurried after him.

"In her defense, I don't think she was doing it of her own free will," Alistair told him. "That makes you feel better, right?"

"A little," Klaus said. "Not really, though."

They reached the library and Klaus ran in, roughly pulling Lucien and Amy apart and punching Lucien in the face. "Why did you feel the need to have your lips all over my wife?" He asked through his teeth.

"Well, with the way you were yelling at her, I wanted to make it clear to her that she had other options if she so desired them," Lucien said. "You understand that, right?"

"Get out of my house!" Klaus yelled. "Get out right now before I kill you!"

"My, my, so touchy." Lucien clicked his tongue as he rose deftly to his feet so he could make his way toward the door, and Amy, having come back to herself, turned as red as her hair.

"I didn't mean to do it," she told Klaus. "I swear!"

"I know you didn't mean to," Klaus assured her as he took her in his arms and she buried her face in his shoulder. "We're gonna find that mummy, wherever it is, and then get out of here so we can be as far as possible from _him,_ cause he's a damn bastard. I promise you that, darling."

"Thank you," Amy sniffled. "Thank you very much."


	21. Locating The Mummy

_Come and meet me for lunch. We have to talk. And if you want to bring your lovely wife along, I wouldn't say 'No'. I have some thoughts about the mummy._

 _-L_

Klaus stared at the note and shook his head before shoving it back in his pocket, and shaking his head. What was it about the fact that he no longer wanted to see him that Lucien didn't understand?

"What have you got there?" Amy asked, coming up behind him and giving him a kiss.

"It's a note from Lucien," he told her dryly. "He wants to meet us for lunch and talk about the possible location of the mummy."

"Well, that's good!" Amy smiled. "You can talk to him about it, then once you both know where it is, you can get it and we can go home!"

"He won't just let me have it," Klaus told her. "I'd have to kill him first."

"Oh, but you wouldn't do that, would you?" Amy asked, playing with his curly blond hair. "It isn't very nice."

"And you know I love being nice for you, but sometimes I just can't," Klaus reasoned and moved her hand. "Sometimes I have to be dark and bad to make things work out. And as long as I'm not acting out against you or the girls, could you just stay out of it and let me do what I need to? Please?"

"All right," Amy sighed. "I guess you have a point. But please take care of yourself when you're doing all these dangerous things. I don't want to go home alone. I'm sure no mummy in the world will make the girls happy if they know they've lost their father."

"That's not gonna happen," Klaus reminded her. "I'm indestructible, remember?"

"Perhaps, but someone could still stick a dagger in your heart and immobilize you if they knew to do so," Amy reminded him. "Lucien doesn't know about that, does he?"

"No," Klaus shook his head. "Give me _some_ credit. I'm not gonna go around blabbing the only weakness I have to anyone who'll listen."

"Right," Amy nodded. "Of course not. So, are you going to meet him? If you are, I'm coming with you."

"You are?" Klaus asked in surprise. "Even after what happened between you two?"

" _Especially_ after what he did to me!" Amy nodded resolutely. "I can't punch him in the face and break his nose if I'm not near him, can I?"

"Yes, you're definitely coming back to yourself," Klaus chuckled. "No more nineteenth-century girl for you. I wonder what nineteenth-century Jonathan would say if he could see you now?"

"It's not too hard to imagine," Amy replied. "Nineteenth-century Jonathan isn't much different from present Jonathan. He's really not. So do I get to come with you to see Lucien or not?"

"Oh, all right," Klaus nodded. "But only because watching you punch him in the face will be thrilling for me. Nothing else."

* * *

"How pleasant that you not only decided to grace me with your presence, but you brought your lovely wife too," Lucien smiled as they approached his table at the hotel restaurant and he rose up to greet them.

"Oh, she was more than happy to come. It was her idea," Klaus smirked. He then sat down and waited for Lucien to fall right in the trap. It didn't take long.

"You chose to come here?" He questioned with a smile. "Why? Was it to see me again?"

"Yes," Amy smiled. "I have something I want to give you to show you how much I appreciated our little encounter the other day."

"Oh?" Lucien smiled and got closer to her so that their chests were touching. "And just what's that?"

"This!" Amy cried, giving him such a hard punch in the nose that she grunted with the force of it, and it sent him tumbling backwards so that he knocked over a chair and made the ladies at the nearby tables be all atwitter.

When Lucien managed to scramble to his feet, Amy smiled and said, "Would you like another one?"

"No, no thank you," He said and quickly wiped the blood from his nose. "I think I would much rather prefer to have a drink. And I'm sorry for what happened the other day. I really thought I was helping you."

"Oh, shove it where the sun doesn't shine," Amy scoffed. "We all know that's a lie! Have you always made it a habit to steal things that aren't yours from other, more deserving people?"

Lucien chuckled. "Well, if I get it first, the other people _aren't_ so deserving, are they?"

"In this case, that's not true," Amy told him firmly. "Now let's sit down, order, and talk about the mummy. Unless you'd like to keep going with this subject and get another punch in the face? I'd be perfectly happy to grant you that wish."

Lucien sat down and eyed Klaus. "Where did you find such a violent woman? You'd never guess it to look at her."

"And normally, she's not violent at all," Klaus smiled. "But as I know from personal experience, manipulating her for your own gain tends to make her mad at you. This is your own fault."

It was then that the waiter brought menus and asked if they wanted wine. They took him up on the offer and while he was out getting it, Klaus asked, "So what is it that you know about the mummy? Do you know anything?" His eyes narrowed. "You haven't stolen it out from under our noses and hid it, have you? That's _just_ something you would do."

"I asked you here in good faith," Lucien snapped. "If I had the damn mummy already, why would I be inviting you here to talk about it?"

"Cause you wanted to throw your success in our faces and gloat?" Amy guessed. "I know we haven't known one another very long, but that seems _just_ like the sort of thing you would do."

"No," Lucien shook his head. "I don't have the mummy. But I talked to someone at the site and they said that the benefactor for the latest expedition to examine it came and took it away a few days before we both showed up."

"And who _is_ this mysterious benefactor?" Klaus asked. "Do you know?"

"No, I don't," Lucien shook his head. "No idea."

"Well, we aren't going to figure out anything just sitting here," Amy pointed out. "After we eat, we're going to go straight back to the site, you're going to find the person you talked to, and try to get more information out of them. If you won't, I will."

Lucien grinned. "Oh, you don't have to do that, kitten. I will happily go and get what we need from the man. I wouldn't want to overtax such a beautiful woman."

"And I wouldn't want to disfigure the face of someone that looks like you, but I will," Amy replied. "If you think sweet-talking me will get you anywhere, it won't. Let's just eat our lunch and go get the mummy. All right?"

"All right," Lucien sighed. "But it won't be as fun that way."

* * *

After lunch, they headed back to the Phoenix's tomb site and Amy and Klaus waited while Lucien worked his magic on the guard.

"Were you told anything useful?" Klaus asked when he returned. "Where's the mummy? Will it be brought back?"

"Yes, but I don't know when," Lucien nodded. "You're not in a hurry to leave, are you?"

"No, I guess not," Klaus sighed. "We can stay. What other choice do we have, really?"

"Oh, and one more thing," Lucien added.

"What?" Klaus asked tiredly.

"Can I stay with you this evening? I ran out of money for my hotel bill," Lucien smiled. "Please?"

"You know, you could just compel them to keep you," Klaus reminded him.

"But that would be dishonest, Klausy!" Lucien said, pretending to look shocked. "Shame on you for suggesting such a thing when it would be much better for me to stay with a good friend."

"I don't have any other choice, do I?" Klaus asked.

"I don't think you do," Amy agreed.

* * *

After Klaus grudgingly set Lucien up on the sofa in his and Amy's hotel room (and checked the locks on the bedroom door), he went to Alistair's room to talk with him.

"I'd like to talk to someone back home again, if I can," he said. Will you help me with that?"

"Of course," Alistair nodded. "Who is it that you want to talk to?"

"Lissy," Klaus said immediately. "I've talked to the girls recently, but I haven't talked to Lissy. And to be honest, neither have you!"

"That's right," Alistair nodded. "Sometimes I forget she's my granddaughter too. Isn't that terrible?"

So they called up Felicity and found her sitting in a room in what he recognized as Adrian's house.

"What are you doing there?" Klaus asked. "Where's Stefan?"

"We broke it off," Felicity replied. "Things just weren't good anymore. But I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Was Mom telling the truth when she said you were bringing a mummy home?"

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "We just have to find it first and then, home it comes!"

"Good!" Felicity smiled. Then she looked at Alistair. "Mom's doing pretty good. Have you talked to her lately, Grandpa?"

"Yes, I have," Alistair sighed. "And that's exactly why I'm not as enthusiastic to come back as my friend is here. I'm very happy you're all right with what happened betwen you and Stefan, though. You've always been a very strong girl."

"Because of Mom and Malachai? Is that why you're nervous?" Felicity smiled, not going with his change in subject, although she smiled at his compliment. "Don't be worried. He's not so bad."

Just then there was a crash and Klaus and Alistair looked at one another in alarm.

"Damn it, Lucien!" Klaus whispered angrily.

"What's going on?" Felicity asked.

"Just problems with an annoying house guest," Klaus told her. "Will you wait while we go fix them?"

"Sure," Felicity nodded. "Take your time."

She waited, and soon, someone returned to the line, but it was a person she'd never seen before. She didn't like the look of him, though.

"Who the hell are you?" She demanded of the grinning, dark-eyed man.

"I'm Lucien," he said. "And who are you other than being a beautiful woman?"

"I bet you try that tired line on all the girls," Felicity glared, refusing to tell him her name. "Has anyone ever fallen for it?"

"No, kitten," Lucien replied. "But I have plenty of others."

"Oh, joy," Felicity replied sarcastically. "Can you go away? How long is it until my grandfather comes back?"

"You're Klausy's granddaughter?" Lucien laughed. "Well, now I see where you got that sullen glare from." He then heard Alistair and Klaus coming back. "I have to go now. I hope we'll see each other again."

" _I_ don't," Felicity said and blew a raspberry. "Goodbye!" Lucien left just as Alistair and Klaus appeared, and Klaus frowned deeply as Felicity recounted her brief encounter with the man. "He's a nightmare!" She cried.

"I know," Klaus told her. "But lucky for you, after this, you'll never have to see him again."

"Do you promise?" Felicity asked.

"Yes," Klaus told her firmly. "I do."


	22. The Night Visit

"So tell me the truth," the blonde woman said to her compatriots as they led her out of the sun and into the house. "Did you get the mummy, or not?"

"Oh, we have the mummy," one of them said. "But you've never told us why you want it. I don't understand. I thought we were just coming here to tour the place like everyone else. You didn't say I was going to be a thief."

"Never mind!" She snapped and gave the man a slap. "Your job is not to question the tasks I ask you to do, just to do them. Now, show me the mummy!"

"All-all right," the man said. "This way."

The woman was led to a room where the coffin lay. She sucked in her breath as she stared at it, stroking the body gently with her fingers. "Hello, my love," she whispered. "Your Edele has returned."

She then heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. She turned around and saw that her henchmen were still around to observe the intimate moment she was trying to have. "Don't just stand there!" She cried. "Go away! Get out! I'd like to see this in private, if you don't mind."

The men quickly scrambled away and Edele resumed looking at the mummified face in the coffin, then gasped as she heard a voice behind her.

"If you turn around, you'll have something much nicer to look at, I promise." Edele recognized the male voice as well as her own and when she turned around and saw him, she felt herself begin to tear up. "

"Oh, my god," she said. "It's you!"

"And it's really you I'm looking at, isn't it, Edele?" He asked. "You look different."

"Sorry," Edele apologized. "I had to possess someone to get your coffin and this was the first body I could get. But it's me, I promise."

He reached out and Edele felt a tingly cold fill her body. Then, the harder she thought about it, the more solid the hand on her cheek became until even though he was a spirit, he was as solid as she was. Then, she kissed him.

"Did you miss me?" He asked as she looked into his light brown eyes and reached up to touch the scruff on his face.

"Yes," she whispered. "I have. I've been miserable without you. It's made me behave awfully badly."

"Has it?" He asked. "What happened? What did you do?"

"I don't want to tell you," she said. "It will just make you think ill of me and I want this to be a new start, not dwelling on the past."

"Look at my body!" He said. "How is it that you intend to make it so we can start over?"

"I have ideas," she said. "Just trust me, please."

"All right," he said and then disappeared as the men who worked for Edele returned. "I'll see you soon. I promise."

Edele sighed then and went back to her business. "You watch the mummy," she ordered a few of the men. "You take your guns and you sit here. Watch this with your life so that nothing bad happens to it. And if something does, I will kill you. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am," the man replied.

"Good," Edele smiled. She went into her room and ran herself a bath, then climbed in, relaxed in the water, and after shutting her eyes, let herself think thoughts about her love and how they would soon be together again.

* * *

"I found the mummy," Lucien announced to Klaus and Amy. "We can go see it tonight. That way we won't get caught."

"Even if they do catch us, it's not like they can do anything about it," Klaus said, his tone fearless.

"So we're just gonna sneak into someone's house to look at the mummy?" Amy asked.

"You don't have to come if it will make you nervous," Klaus assured her. "You can just stay here with Astrid and Alistair."

"No, I'll come with you," Amy said. "I can handle it. Don't worry."

But despite her confidence, she felt she should talk to Astrid first.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" She asked. "I mean, what normal person sneaks into someone's house to look at a mummy?"

Astrid shrugged. "I don't think it's bad. It seems exciting. You should go. And don't forget a thing! I want details!"

Amy just stared at her in surprise. "Are you always like this, or is it just the freedom of being in a different time?"

"Oh, I'm always like this," Astrid assured her. "You should visit more often. Then you can see it more."

* * *

"This feels so wrong," Amy said as she, Klaus, and Lucien made their way into the house Edele had rented. It was late at night, dark, and everyone in the house was asleep. "What are we doing here? What if we get caught?"

"If you stop talking, it's less likely that that will happen," Klaus whispered back. She felt Lucien take her other hand.

"I'm scared," he whispered when she gave it a squeeze. "Do you mind?"

"Well, I know you're not scared, but we don't want to lose anyone, do we?" Amy told him.

"Do I _need_ to tell you to stop talking again?" Klaus asked.

Amy and Lucien lapsed into silence and then the three of them went from room to room to look for the coffin, finding nothing, until, as they approached one room, the lights went on and bullets began whizzing past their heads.

"Now, now, boys," Lucien said as he heedlessly strode toward the shooters, gave them a push, and worked on wresting the guns away from them. "We've just come to have a little look at the mummy. That's all. Then we'll leave."

"Don't you touch that!" The men cried as Lucien reached the box and put his hands all over it. They riddled him with bullets and he collapsed, which caused Amy to scream and whisper in Klaus' ear, "Maybe we should go."

"Just a minute," Klaus told her, smiling as he watched Lucien. "He's not down. Just give him a minute."

He was right. Lucien soon rose up from the floor, causing the guards of the mummy to scream in fright and run away.

"Damn," Lucien cursed as they ran. He snapped both their necks and then returned back to Klaus and Amy. "Now, what do you say we open this thing?" he asked.

"I say you don't," said Edele as she stood in the doorway and stared.

"I'm sorry we broke into your home," Amy apologized quickly. "We'll leave now. We just wanted to see the mummy, that's all."

"That's not surprising," Edele said. "But why this time of night? Was it because you weren't expecting to get caught?"

"Well, we still won't, even though you found us," Klaus said, speeding over and breaking the woman's neck so quickly that Amy didn't even have time to scream in shock. He then opened the coffin and Klaus, Amy, and Lucien stared at the mummy.

Amy shuddered. "It's kind of hideous, isn't it? I don't know why you'd want it in your house."

"This man was an incredibly powerful being," Klaus told her. "Why wouldn't you want it? I promise I'll put it somewhere where you don't have to look at it."

"All right," Amy nodded. "But you better mean that."

* * *

Felicity let out a scream as Lucien's face appeared in her mirror one morning while she was brushing her teeth. "What the hell do you want?" She asked.

"I just thought I'd say 'Good morning'," Lucien smiled. "And to let you know that this isn't the only time I'll make you scream if you give me a chance."

Felicity rolled her eyes and spat her toothpaste all over the mirror. "Does that tell you what the answer to that charming proposal is?"

"Yes," Lucien smiled. "It just means I'll have to try a little harder. I'm Lucien, by the way."

"I'm not interested," Felicity smiled tightly just as Adrian came running in and asking if she was all right. "Lissy, are you okay?"

"Yes," Felicity replied. "I'm fine. Sorry for alarming you, Daddy."

Adrian went back to his TV and Lucien smiled as Felicity wiped the spit off the mirror. "Is Lissy short for 'Melissa'?" He asked.

"Felicity," she told him.

"Ah, yes. Happiness." Lucien smiled. "Would you smile for me?"

"Bite me," Felicity replied, sticking out her tongue and turning off the bathroom light. She headed to the living room where Adrian was sitting on the sofa, sat next to him, and lay her head on his shoulder.

"Good morning," he said and kissed her hair. "What was going on in the bathroom?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Nothing you need to worry about. Just a surprise visit from an old friend of Grandpa's who apparently has the hots for me."

Adrian froze. "This guy's name wouldn't be Lucien, would it?"

"Yeah," Felicity nodded. "How do you know?"

"Dad told me about him a long time ago," Adrian replied. "You haven't fallen for anything he's said, have you?"

"No," Felicity shook her head.

"Good," Adrian told her. "Don't. Dad killed his sister and I have a feeling that one of the reasons he's after you is to get Dad back for that."


	23. One More Thing To Do

"Are you only paying attention to me to piss my grandpa off?" Felicity asked Lucien that night before he could recite his usual lines. "My dad told me that Grandpa killed your sister. Is this a revenge thing?"

"When that happened, I was angry," Lucien replied. "But that was centuries ago and I'm over it."

"No, you can't be!" Felicity shook her head. "Come on, talk to me about it. It might help you to unburden yourself."

"No," Lucien shook his head. "I'm not going to stand here and talk about my feelings with you. It's ridiculous."

"Are you worried that if we talk about our feelings I'll think of you as less than a man?" Felicity asked. "Cause I won't. Just talk to me. Please."

"No, thank you," Lucien shook his head. "I'm gonna go now. If you were trying to make a point, you did a good job. All I wanted to do was have a little fun, but you've made me very, very sad!"

"How can I make it up to you?" Felicity asked.

Lucien gave her a small smile. "I have some ideas, but you probably wouldn't like them."

"Go ahead and say it," Felicity said. "What is it you want to see? The top or the bottom?"

"Am I more likely to see one than the other?" Lucien questioned. "I'll see whatever you give me." He quickly turned. "And hurry up. I don't know how long I have until someone comes in here and finds me."

"Oh, all right," Felicity replied, peeling off her pink blouse and removing her bra so that Lucien had a good view of her chest and pulling her blonde hair out of its tie and giving it a shake before standing up and catching his eye again. "There," she said. "Are you happy? Do you like what you see?"

"Definitely," Lucien smiled. "And those are some undergarments you're wearing. Very easy to remove, aren't they? I wish women around here wore things like that."

"What do you mean by that?" Felicity asked. "How could you…? Oh, that's right, you're in the past. Bras haven't been invented yet. I remember now."

"No, but honestly, how does that work?" Lucien wanted to know. "Tell me, please."

Felicity sighed and picked up her bra. "Pay attention now," she said patiently. "You're gonna need to know how to do this cause I have no doubt that when Grandpa and the others come back, you'll find some way to tag along with them and try and get me in bed with you. That's not to say that I'll let you in right away, or even at all, but you never know."

"Oh, you'll let me in no matter how long it takes," Lucien told her. "I'll get through to you. I'm a very patient man."

Felicity just shook her head and scoffed. "Anyway, now that I have this on…you saw me put it on, right?"

"Oh, I don't care how you put it on," Lucien replied. "All that matters to me is how to get it off."

"Of course," Felicity replied dryly. "Now, luckily for you, I'm wearing one that opens in the front. If I wearing one that opened in the back, I'd have to turn around and you wouldn't be able to see-"

"I don't need your long-winded explanations!" Lucien interrupted. "I know you're only doing that to frustrate me. Just take the damn thing off!"

"All right," Felicity huffed. She deftly unhooked it and threw it on the floor. "There," she said. "I took it off. Are you happy?"

"Yes," Lucien nodded. "Very much." Just then, there was a noise and he said, "I think they're back from looking at the sights, which means I have to go. But I'll be back."

"Oh, I bet you will," Felicity nodded, her voice sarcastic. "I can't wait."

"I know," Lucien smiled. "Me neither." He disappeared then and Felicity rolled her eyes and left the bathroom just in time to bump into her father.

"Are you all right?" He asked. "You were in there for an awfully long time. I was just about ready to check on you."

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Sorry for the wait. If you want to use my bathroom to get ready for your next date with Jennifer, that's fine. Go ahead." She paused. "Oh, and by the way, how'd her first meeting with the little bundle of darkness go? Was it a total disaster?"

"Well, I can't say that she and Molly will ever be buddies, but I told her to save Molly food and that will at least prevent her from being mauled," Adrian smiled. "That worked."

"How do you feel about Mom and Kai's plot to get you a new girlfriend?" Felicity asked. "Do you hate them for it?"

"Well, it's nothing serious, of course, but I guess…I guess I like having company as long as it's the right kind," Adrian replied. "A werewolf instead of a witch, thank goodness."

"I'm glad you're putting yourself out there," Felicity smiled. "It's a lot better than just sitting in your house by yourself."

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Adrian asked. "Did you spill something on it?"

"Oh, no," Felicity shook her head. "I was doing something and I completely forgot to put it back on again. But I'll do that now. Thanks for reminding me." She ran into the blessedly quiet bathroom and put her shirt back on again, coming out just in time to make small talk with Jennifer before she and Adrian left for their date.

* * *

The next time Lucien went to pay a visit to Felicity's mirror, his sight was blocked. He couldn't see anything, but could hear the sound of water running. The calm pacing of the water made him close his eyes and visions of shirtless Felicity danced in his mind, making him chuckle.

Then, just as Felicity, drenching wet and naked, was coming out of the shower, the towel fell off the mirror and Lucien got exactly what he was hoping for.

"Oh, fuck it all!" Felicity cried and scrambled for a towel as he stared and smirked. She covered herself up and then asked Lucien, "Did you like what you see? The least you can do is return the favor. Go on now."

"But I'm sharing a bathing space with your grandfather. What if he comes in here and sees?" Lucien asked, gesturing around the empty room with the tub in it. "And how is it that you're wet? You didn't come out of the bath."

"I came out of the shower. It's like standing under a waterfall and washing that way. Don't tease me," Felicity said firmly. "I know you don't give a shit about that. Come on. Stop stalling and drop your pants."

"All right, all right," Lucien replied. "You don't have to tell me twice." He took off his shirt, then undid his belt and let his pants fall to the floor.

"Well, well, well," Felicity smiled and crossed her arms. "You know, that's not bad."

"'Not bad'?" Lucien asked. "That's _all_ you have to say?"

"What else is there?" She shrugged. "It's not like I'm able to look real closely. But don't worry. I know when you get here, you'll show up at my door and lock us in a room together so you can take off your pants and I'll be able to rhapsodize more accurately about the size of your equipment."

"Well, that's good," Lucien told her. "Because I already have many good things to say about the size of yours."

"I'll see if I can think of some things to say to you in return," Felicity said. "I don't know if I can, though. And what happened to being worried about Grandpa? Shouldn't you be doing that? I don't want to think about what he'd do if he came in there and saw you with your pants down and then you had to explain why."

"Don't worry about me, Kitten," Lucien told her. "I can take care of myself. But it's nice to know you worry about me already."

"I don't," Felicity replied flippantly. "I just don't want your death on my conscience. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get dressed." She turned around and Lucien kept his eyes locked on her bottom as she strode out of the room. When the door was closed behind her, he did up his pants and turned away, finding himself face to face with Klaus.

"What are you looking at?" He asked. "Anything interesting?"

"No," Lucien shook his head. "What would make you ask that?"

"Well, you _have_ been spending a lot of alone time in the bathroom lately," Klaus reminded him. "What can we do about getting you a girlfriend?"

"It's not that," Lucien told him. "I've just been admiring the décor."

"Oh, of course," Klaus nodded. "Do you really think I believe that flimsy excuse?"

"Well, no, but let's talk about the mummy," Lucien said, quickly changing the subject. "Do you think you can get it?"

"Of course," Klaus nodded. "We just have to bring Alistair, get him to zap it to the present when we go, and there you go." He paused. "Not that you'll be coming of course. I don't know where you are in the present, but it's a bit risky to have two of you running around, don't you think?"

"Oh, come on, Klausy," Lucien said, thinking of Felicity and her perky breasts. "Why don't you take me with you? The chances of running into other me are extremely remote. And you know if you don't take me, I'll find a way to come anyway."

"No," Klaus shook his head.

"Why not?" Lucien asked.

"Because I just don't want you there," Klaus replied. "There are some people in the present that I don't want you anywhere near. Don't think I'm ignorant of your meeting Felicity."

"You know about that?" Lucien asked. "How come you haven't killed me yet?"

"Because since Felicity is in the future, you can't actually get near her, and I'm sure she's managing your ridiculousness pretty well on her own without my help," Klaus replied.

Then Amy came and said, "What's everyone hiding out in the bathroom for? I thought we were going to talk to Alistair about getting home."

"We are," Klaus told her. "And I was just informing Lucien that he won't be coming with us. It would be much too risky."

"Oh, I don't know," Amy replied. "What are the chances of running into him in the present? If they're remote, I don't see the harm in taking him."

"What the hell, Amy?" Klaus raged. "Whose side are you on anyway?"

"Well, we brought him into this mummy plot," Amy said reasonably. "It seems only fair that he gets to see it through with us."

"Why don't you just give it to him even though it's my damn mummy?" Klaus said. "You just don't want me to have it, do you?"

"Of course I want you to have it," Amy replied. "That's the reason why we came."

"Then why do you want Lucien in the present where he could steal it?" Klaus asked impatiently.

"Well, it's just that you don't have many friends and neither do I, so wouldn't it be nice to have him around so we could invite him over for dinner parties or something?"

"What the hell did you do to her?" Klaus asked Lucien. "Did you mess with her brain again like you did when you two kissed?"

"No!" Amy shook her head. "I know my own mind very well, thank you. And I want him to come!"

"Fine, he can come," Klaus said and then grabbed Amy's hand, pulling her out of the room and bringing her next door to Alistair, who was lying in bed and still fuming about Helene and Malachai.

"I think we're ready to go home," Klaus told Alistair. "Work on that, would you?"

"No," Alistair said. "I don't want to go home. Bad things are at home."

"You're really acting like a child," Astrid told him. "I know you're not happy about Helene and Malachai but you can't hide out here forever. It's not right."

"Yes I can," Alistair told her. "You don't know that."

"I feel like I've entered a parallel universe," Astrid sighed and looked at Klaus. "Tell me, are you feeling particularly sensible at the moment?"

"No," Amy shook her head. "He just got upset when I said that we should let his friend Lucien come to the present with us. It seems like we're dealing with two children."

"You know what?" Astrid told Alistair. "If you won't get us home, I will. We'll get the mummy and leave."

"You can't take us to the future," Alistair said in a muffled voice cause his head was smushed against the pillow. "You don't know how."

"But I can damn well figure it out, can't I?" Astrid said with determination. "I'm not gonna miss the birth of my grandson because you're being a child. You can come or you can go, but we're leaving. That's all there is to it."


	24. The Ghost And The Mummy Case

"Any luck with finding out how we're going to get back?" Amy asked Astrid. "How right was Alistair about you not knowing what you're doing?"

"Well, I know more than he believes I do," Astrid told her. "How are the boys coming along with getting the mummy?"

"They're actually making good progress," Amy replied. "The mummy is still at the house where we found it and since Klaus killed the benefactor, there's no one around to deny us access. Once you find the right spell, the plan is to just zap the mummy home along with the rest of us."

"And you know, I'm actually looking forward to that," Astrid said tiredly. "Between the heat and the bugs and the knowledge that I have a grandson coming soon, I am more than ready to go home, even if Alistair isn't."

"I know how you feel," Amy nodded. "I want to see my girls. I've really missed them." She paused. "How long is it until Helene is due?"

"Oh, I have no idea," Astrid shrugged. "I know that sounds horrible, but her relationship with the father was conducted under Alistair and my noses and while we were away, so we don't really know much except for what she's told us."

"I'm sure you still have plenty of time to get home before the baby is born," Amy tried to comfort her, putting a hand on Astrid's shoulder. "You'll make it on time."

"Yes," Astrid nodded determinedly. "If I have anything to do with it, we certainly will.

"How far along are you?" Astrid asked Helene that night. "Do we need to rush home?"

"Well, Selina and Elijah had their babies recently and I found out I was pregnant around the same time," Helene told her. "But who knows? We could be lucky and have this one decide to come late." She then turned her head at the sound of Malachai's voice. "Sorry, I have to go," she said quickly. "I've got medicine to take."

"What sort of medicine?" Astrid asked, feeling a little worried. "You've never had to take medicine before. Does your doctor know you're doing this?"

"Yeah," Helene assured her. "He was the one who wrote the prescription up for me. Look, I know you were a nurse and medicine during pregnancy makes you twitchy, but I think…I think I'm gonna have a really powerful kid or something. I mean, I was holding off taking the medicine for as long as I could cause I knew that's what you would tell me to do, but then I went blind and all this bad stuff happened and Malachai and I decided that I should take the medicine to try and stop all that."

"Yes," Astrid scoffed. "Because Malachai McCullough is a doctor and knows _exactly_ what taking medicine could do to you."

Helene sighed. Her life had been full of talks like this. "This wasn't just Malachai's idea," she said patiently. "It's mine too. I know that so much of this situation with him, including the pregnancy and the engagement, has been a big disappointment to you and Daddy and I'm sorry about that. But can I just tell you what's going on in my life without getting a lecture each time?"

"You're right," Astrid said, putting up her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm…I'm really excited to meet my new grandson, and I just…I want you to take care of yourself, okay?"

"All right," Helene promised. "I will. I need to go take my medicine now. Unless you'd rather talk to Malachai too?"

"No," Astrid shook her head. "You run along and do what you need to do. We'll be back as soon as we can and if we're not there in time for the delivery, this is a preemptive apology."

"Thank you," Helene told her with a smile. "I can't wait for you and Daddy to come back, even though Daddy's probably more ticked off at me than you are right now."

"Oh, he'll be over it by the time you see us again," Astrid assured her. "I promise."

* * *

"All right, so we have the mummy," Lucien said to Klaus, rubbing his hands as they looked at the coffin. "Now we can go. I can't wait to see what the future is like!"

"Oh, don't think I don't know why you want to come with us," Klaus told him.

"So kill me if you know why and it bothers you so much," Lucien replied. "Go ahead and do it."

"I told you before, if you have your eyes on Felicity and you hurt her, I want _her_ to be the one to hurt you," Klaus replied. "You might very well be walking into trouble with her, but that's your choice."

"Is she completely mad?" Lucien asked. "Is that what you're trying to tell me? Because she's seemed perfectly normal all the times we've spoken."

"I raised her for many years," Klaus told him. "I think I know her better than you do."

"And now you're warning me that she's crazy," Lucien smiled and gave Klaus a kiss. "How nice that you care."

"I don't," Klaus said irritably and rubbed his face. "I'm just telling you that if you go wrong with her, you won't have long to live."

Lucien just chuckled at this and went to ask Amy if he could borrow a hand mirror.

"Of course," Amy nodded and handed one to him. "Why do you need it?"

"I just want to talk to someone in the future," he replied. He then went off to hide in the hotel's laundry where he called up Felicity.

"Oh, what do you want?" She said irritably. Much to Lucien's dismay, she wasn't in the shower, but was lying in bed with a book. "I was enjoying not talking to you. Why ruin a good thing?"

"I just wanted to let you know that when everyone comes back to your time, I'll be coming with them," Lucien smiled. "And we'll be leaving soon. Can't wait to see you, kitten."

"Oh, be still my beating heart," Felicity replied dryly and threw her book at the mirror

"Now, now, what did you want to do that for?" He asked, dodging it, even though he knew the book couldn't hurt him.

"I just wanted to throw something," Felicity replied. "That's how pissed off you make me."

"Well, they say that a lot of great love stories begin with hate," he smiled.

"Oh, fuck off," Felicity told him. "What do you believe in love anyway? You don't, and that's precisely why I don't want you anywhere near me!"

"Are you saying that you're the romantic type?" Lucien asked. "I wouldn't have pegged you as such."

"I don't have to explain why I don't like you," Felicity told him firmly, knowing that if she told him how messed up things had been with Stefan and how that had made her long for a more normal and stable relationship, he would just laugh in her face. "I just don't. Go away."

"Your grandfather told me you'll kill me when we see each other," Lucien continued, once again ignoring that request. "Is he right?"

"Yes," Felicity nodded. "I have not hesitated to maim, torture, or kill people who have annoyed me in the past and _believe me_ , there's no way I'd make an exception for you. Listen to Grandpa; he's doing you a favor." She then went to cover up the mirror, which made Lucien sigh heavily and go back to Amy and Klaus' room.

"So…how right was I?" Klaus asked. "You sneaked away to talk to her just now, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I'm not giving up hope yet," Lucien told him. "I'll win her over eventually." He went to look at the mummy again. "Not an attractive thing, is it?"

"It's dead," Amy pointed out. "What do you expect?"

"You can hardly use that for a reason why it's unattractive," Lucien countered. "Since you're a vampire, I know you've shuffled off the mortal coil at least once and yet look at you," He gestured in her direction. "You're beautiful."

Amy heard this, blushed, giggled, and averted her eyes.

"What did you say that to her for?" Klaus asked. "How many times do I have to remind you that that is _my_ wife you're talking to?"

"How long has it been since you've told her she's beautiful?" Lucien asked. "A long time?"

"Well-" Klaus began.

"Yeah," Amy nodded. "How long _has_ it been since you've just complimented me in regular conversation for no reason at all?"

"I don't know," Klaus shrugged.

"Well, work on that," Amy said and went to stand next to Lucien.

"Or what?" Klaus asked. "I'll have competition?"

"No," Amy shook her head. "I'm not stupid enough to do that. But it's something to think about."

Meanwhile, Edele was floating around their room, unseen. She'd attached herself to the mummy, so that wherever it went, she went. And now she had to find some way to either keep it in the past, or get herself to the future. Cause there was no way she was letting it out of her sight now. Not when she was so close to having the one person in her life that she'd always wanted more than anyone else at all.


	25. I Dream Of Lucien

"Tell me," Felicity said to Lucien when she saw him next. "Are you a warlock? How the hell are you able to contact me through the mirror?"

"I'm not," Lucien replied. "Just a vampire." He chuckled. "Well, not _just_ a vampire. Even though I'm not an Original, I _was_ one of the first ones made outside the family. You know, before the change."

"What change?" Felicity asked.

"Never mind, I won't tell you now," Lucien told her quickly. "I wouldn't want to intimidate you or make you get your hopes up for something that's never going to happen."

"You know, I could say the same thing about you," Felicity retorted. "Don't think I have no idea what you're trying to accomplish with these little visits of yours, however you do them."

"If you'd like to know how, I'll tell you," Lucien replied. "Isn't it a thing in the magical world for people to contact others by thinking about them?"

"Yes," Felicity nodded. "It is."

"And I heard that you're a witch," Lucien continued. "So it stands to reason that I could think about you and that would be a summons on your part to allow me to see you, wouldn't it?"

"I guess," Felicity nodded and sighed. "I don't have my powers anymore. Or at least I'm not allowed to use them in a way I'd like. I used them to torture someone a long time ago and the government took them away after that. You'd think that would make me exempt from stuff like what you're talking about, but apparently, I have just enough magic to put myself at the mercy of other people, even though I'm not allowed to do anything fun."

This news intrigued Lucien. "You tortured someone with your powers?" He asked. "Why would you do that?"

"They were mistreating someone I like very much and I felt I should mete out vengeance for that person," Felicity replied. "Cause they were like a mother to me."

"And who was it?" Lucien asked. "Anyone I would know?"

"Grandma Amy," Felicity said. "Isn't she there with you?"

"Yes," Lucien smiled. "I like her. She's pretty."

"I don't believe you!" Felicity scoffed, her jaw dropping a little. "Here you are trying to put the moves on me and you tell me you like Grandma Amy too?"

Lucien chuckled. "Calm down, Kitten. I meant it aesthetically. And I only say these things because I like to see the look on Klausy's face when I do."

"I wish you were here with me now so I could kick your ass," Felicity said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Soon, darling," Lucien told her. "Be patient. If I had magic and could bring you into the mirror so we could have alone time, I would, but I can't."

"And that's good," Felicity shot back. "When Alice went through the mirror, everything on the other side was twisted and weird, which would accurately describe any time I spend with you."

"Awww!" Lucien smiled, unperturbed. "Aren't you sweet?"

Before Felicity could spit out a scathing retort, there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Sweetheart?" called her father's voice. "Are you all right?"

"That's my dad!" Felicity cried, her eyes widening. "Go away!" She whispered furiously to Lucien. "Go away!"

"Your father still checks on who you like?" Lucien asked, raising an eyebrow. "You must've really screwed up somewhere along the way."

"No, I just don't want him to see you," Felicity replied.

"Why?" Lucien cried, putting a hand to his heart. "Are you ashamed of me? Cause you know, that really hurts!"

"I don't want anyone to get ideas that we could be a couple because I hate you," Felicity said patiently. "How could you not understand that by now?"

"Because I don't think it's true," Lucien smiled. "But I'll go, if you want me to. Don't miss me too much."

"Oh, I won't," Felicity told him. "You don't have to worry about that."

Just as Lucien disappeared, Adrian made his way into the bathroom. "Are you okay?" He asked. "If you're ill somehow or having some other problem that makes you lock yourself in the bathroom and carry on conversations with no one, we can talk about it."

"Thank you," Felicity said, coming over to give her father a hug. Though they'd definitely had a rocky relationship for most of her life, she could really tell he was trying to turn it around now. "But really, nothing's wrong. Just a guy who's taken a liking to me that I find annoying. Nothing you need to worry about."

"Are you sure?" Adrian asked. "Cause I'd be more than happy to punch him in the face for you if you want."

"I know you would," Felicity agreed. "But you can't. He's…kind of in the past with Grandpa Klaus, Grandpa Alistair and the others."

"Ah," Adrian nodded. "Well, let's just hope they keep him there when they come back."

"I hope that too, but he seems very determined to come with them, so we'll see," Felicity said. "I'll stock up on pepper spray and go over my self-defense tapes in the meantime. Or I'll just bite him and kick him in the crotch when he comes. I don't know yet."

"It's good to know you've got that under control," Adrian told her. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Felicity replied. "And I promise that if I need help from you, I'll let you know."

* * *

She was immensely relieved when Lucien didn't stop by again. Before bed, she took a bubble bath and put curlers in her hair, then read a chapter of the romance novel she was in the middle of before turning off her lights and settling down to sleep.

But the calm of her world when awake belied what was going on in her head as she began to dream.

 _She was sleeping soundly when a shift in the mattress beside her made her open her eyes. She began to scream but soon a hand was put over her mouth as she felt warm lips against her earlobe. "Don't worry, kitten," a voice whispered. "It's only me."_

" _If that's supposed to make me feel better, it's not working," Felicity whispered angrily. "What makes you think you can just stroll in here and get in my bed?"_

" _Because it's my bed too," Lucien said, turning on the light and showing her a picture that was on his bedside table. It was her, but in what looked like a budoir photo._

" _Give me that!" She said, and stared in horror at how she was posed languidly on the bed in brief, slinky black lingerie. "How the hell did you get this?"_

" _You gave it to me for my birthday," Lucien smiled. "Best present I've ever gotten. Makes me wonder what you'll do for our anniversary."_

" _Anniversary of what?" Felicity replied. "I refuse to believe you're the marrying type."_

" _Oh, of course not!" Lucien shook his head. "It's not our wedding anniversary. It's the anniversary of the day you first went to bed with me. I thought it would be a nice thing for us to celebrate."_

" _How many have we had?" Felicity asked. "And what the hell would convince me to stay with you for so long?"_

 _Lucien grinned wickedly. "Would you like me to show you?"_

" _No," Felicity shook her head. "I can just imagine."_

" _Oh, come on, Kitten," Lucien said and slid his finger down her cheek and neck. "Please?"_

 _Felicity gave a little squeak, not wanting to give into him, but at the same time, wondering. Finally, she let him put her to himself. His body was warm and lithe, and his chest felt taut under her fingers as he turned off the light and she ran her finger tips down his chest in the dark._

 _Then she felt him take her and kiss each of her fingers before taking her head in his hands and holding it so he could kiss her. She resisted at first, her hands flying in every direction because she wanted to slap him but couldn't. Then, she felt herself relax into the kiss and kiss him back, because, horror of horrors, she had to admit that he was a good kisser even if he was an otherwise terrible person._

" _You see?" He whispered after he pulled away. "That was great, wasn't it?"_

" _It was all right," Felicity replied resentfully. "I guess."_

 _Then he kissed her again and her body was full of shivers._

" _Here," he said and held her close against him. Then he laid her back onto the mattress, looking down at her, a looming figure in the darkness. She reached up and turned on the light, breathing a sigh of relief._

" _What was that for, kitten?" He asked. "Was I making you uneasy in the dark?"_

" _No," Felicity replied quickly. "I just didn't want to deprive you of a chance to gaze into my pretty face while we get this business over with."_

 _Lucien heard this and chuckled. "Thank you," he said and kissed her. "How kind." She then threw her arms around his neck and felt him slip inside her, pulling out and thrusting in over and over again until, when she woke up, she was covered in sweat and a few of her curlers had fallen out of her hair and lay on the mattress beside her._

* * *

She looked around and breathed a sigh of relief that it had all been a dream, hoping that she hadn't been yelling too loudly and that her father wouldn't come in and ask if she was all right. She couldn't explain her dream to him. She just couldn't.

"You look like death warmed over, Kitten," Lucien remarked the next time he saw her. "Did you have trouble sleeping?"

"Yes, I did," Felicity hissed at him. "And it's really not nice of you to mention stuff like that to people. How would you like it if I told you that _you_ were ugly? How would you feel?"

"I never said you were ugly," Lucien corrected. "I just meant that you might want to bathe before you leave the house and do something about those under eye circles of yours. Did you stay up all night because you were dreaming of me?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Felicity snapped. "And they weren't dreams, they were nightmares!" She splashed some cold water on her face groaned as Lucien continued to talk.

"Why would you be dreaming of me?" He asked. "I don't think they were nightmares at all."

"You're lousy in bed," she told him and threw a towel at the mirror. "Really fucking lousy."

"Maybe in your head," he said. "But just wait until you get a taste of real life." His eyes twinkled. "Now that I know you want it so bad, I'm even more eager to give it to you."

"Great," Felicity sighed. "I'll be having more nightmares tonight. Thank you so much. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Of my bedroom prowess?" Lucien smiled. "Of course I am. I have no reason not to be." Then he turned and said, "Company's coming, Kitten, so I have to go. You make the most of your time in the waterfall box and we'll talk later."

"Goodbye," Felicity said, then put on the under eye concealer and went to meet Adrian for breakfast.


	26. The Triumphant Return

"You know, that granddaughter of yours is _awfully_ interesting," Lucien said to Klaus. "Did you know that she's having dreams about me?"

Klaus scoffed when he heard this. "Probably nightmares. And would you stop nosing around her? I keep telling you you'll be sorry if you do."

"Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll take my chances." Lucien then looked at Amy. "What do you think?" He asked her. "Do I have a chance with Felicity?"

"You're interested in Felicity?" Amy asked. "That's unexpected."

"Well, if she were to express interest herself, of course I wouldn't refuse her," Lucien replied. "What sort of man would I be if I did that?"

"A smart one," Klaus said. "But if you want to be killed, that's your own prerogative."

"I don't think she could kill me," Lucien replied with confidence. "Regardless of her powers, I still have much more experience than she does. I can handle her easily."

"Yeah," Klaus nodded, scoffing. "Of course you could. Just be sure to protect your lower regions when she sees you."

"Is she really the sort of girl that hits?" Lucien smiled. "How exciting!" Knowing that, he wanted to see Felicity in person even more. "I think I'll tell her that we'll be coming home soon. Can I do that?"

"Sure," Klaus nodded. "Go ahead."

"Good," Lucien smiled. "I'll go and do that right now."

* * *

"Remember after we do this that I told you it wasn't a good idea," Felicity said to Adrian as they both stood in front of her bedroom mirror. She'd tired of hearing him think she was crazy for talking to an imaginary friend in the mirror and decided to introduce him to Lucien, even though her gut told her that was a terrible idea. "You might hear things and see things that you won't be able to un-hear or un-see."

"I've seen a lot," Adrian told her firmly and gripped her hand tight. "I think I can handle it. I want to see what's going on in your head."

So they waited and then Felicity, laughing so hard she stopped breathing for a little while, was able to show her father what he'd wanted to see: Lucien, this time naked as he stood in front of the mirror.

"What in the hell?" Both he and Adrian cried at the same time.

"No, don't!" Felicity shouted as her father ran out of the room to get a hammer to break the mirror with. Then she scowled at Lucien. "Good job!" She cried. "Now you made him agitated!"

"Is Klausy Junior as bad as his father when irritated?" Lucien wanted to know.

"Yes," Felicity nodded. "Even worse depending on the circumstances. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Yes, I am, you gorgeous creature," Lucien smiled.

"Just go away!" Felicity begged. "Please?"

"Fine," Lucien sighed. "I'll go bother your grandfather instead. But I'll be thinking of you, Kitten. Oh, and before I forget, Klausy and the others are coming home soon. And _I'm_ coming with them."

"Oh, lucky me," Felicity sighed and then when Lucien was gone, tried to wrest the hammer from her father's grip as he ran into the bedroom with it. "Stop!" She cried. "He's gone! I swear!"

Growling, Adrian dropped the hammer on the floor and turned on her. "How long have you been talking to him?" He demanded to know. "Have you offered yourself to him or anything like that?"

"No!" Felicity shook her head, her face twisting in disgust. "I certainly have not! Don't you think I have much better prospects in mind than someone like him?"

"Well, I should hope so," Adrian shot back as he tried to take deep breaths and calm down. "I really hope so." He paused. "How in the world did you meet him?"

"Oh, I don't know exactly," Felicity shrugged. "Grandpa Klaus and Grandma Amy were talking with me and then they had to leave, so Lucien picked up the talking device, opened his yap, and there we were. The only reason why I started talking to him in the first place was that he was from the past and I thought I would never actually see him in the present. I can't, right?"

"Technically you could if he decided to come with," Adrian replied. "I believe he's dead now."

"Shit," Felicity swore. "That figures. Don't worry; if he shows up and tries to put the moves on me, I'll just slap him silly, kick him in the crotch, and run away."

"That sounds like a plan," Adrian replied with approval. "And if that doesn't keep him away, let me know and I'll let him know the message louder and clearer."

"All right," Felicity nodded. "You will. I promise."

* * *

In the past, it was clear that everyone was ready to go home, but there was still some debate about how that would be accomplished.

"Let _me_ do it!" Alistair cried. "I'm the only one who knows how."

"Oh, that's silly!" Astrid yelled back. "I can figure it out. I'm not stupid!"

"Of course you're not, but people rarely get a time travel return right on their first try," Alistair told her. "And it's coming back that's more difficult."

"If that boy who's never done it before can send us here, I can get us back," Astrid said firmly. "I think I'm smart enough to figure that out. And besides, I thought you didn't want to go back anyway. I thought that with the Helene and Malachai situation going on, the return would be too much of a nightmare for you."

"'Nightmare' is a bit of a strong way to phrase it, but I can't deny I'm dreading to see what all Helene's done while we've been gone," Alistair told her. "But if you're determined to be the one to get us back, go ahead and do it. I know I won't be able to stop you. I just know that something terrible will happen. Maybe not right away, but it will."

"Your confidence in me is incredibly touching," Astrid said dryly, narrowing her eyes at him.

Alistair just threw his hands up and went to tell Lucien, Klaus, and Amy to ready themselves for the return home and cast a spell that would protect them from any bad effects of the spell Astrid was casting Then, they stood around the mummy case and after Astrid consulted her spell book, she muttered what she believed was the right spell and everyone closed their eyes and prayed.

* * *

When they felt themselves hit hard ground, Astrid opened her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw she was in her own living room and nothing seemed out of place. "See?" She told Alistair triumphantly as he helped her to her feet and she pushed some blonde hair out of her eyes. "I did it perfectly. I knew I would! Don't you feel stupid for doubting me?"

"We'll see," Alistair told her. "Everything _seems_ fine, I'll give you that. But I wouldn't be so cocky yet." He then made a phone call and waited for Helene to answer.

"Daddy, you're back!" She cried. "I'm so happy about that. Now you can meet your grandson. Just be careful. He's powerful already and has a bit of a problem with fire. We don't know why, though, so don't ask."

"I won't," Alistair told her dryly. "With Malachai McCullough for a father, I figured that your child would be someone we'd have to be wary of."

"Now, now," Helene told him. "He's not bad at all if you're knowledgeable about how to put a fire out. When do you want to come and see him?"

"As soon as possible, I suppose," Alistair replied. "And just for my own personal knowledge because your mother was the one whose spell brought us back, is it the same year it was when we left? We're not ten years into the future or anything like that?"

"No." Helene told him, making him breathe a sigh of relief. "It's still the same year it was when you left."

"Good," Alistair nodded. "Thank you, darling." He hung up and said to Astrid, "We're in the same year we came from. You're very lucky, Astrid."

"No, I'm not," Astrid said, grinning widely. "I'm _skilled_. When you're ready to admit that, I'll be glad to hear your apology." She sauntered off then and Alistair's cheeks went pink when he saw that Lucien and Klaus were smirking at him.

"Nice girl you have there," Lucien said at last. "She reminds me of someone I have to go and visit."

"You'll only be able to see Felicity if you know where she lives, and I'm not telling you that," Klaus told him.

"Oh, just go ahead and do that," Amy told him. "Since they've talked before, she's probably expecting him and it would be best to just get the meeting out of the way. I'll even go with him to make sure everything turns out all right."

"Okay," Klaus sighed and reluctantly looked for some paper so he could write the address down. "But don't dawdle too much. I don't want that."

"We'll see what happens," Amy replied. "You never can tell in situations like these." She snatched the address of Adrian's house out of Klaus' hand and then, after Lucien put an arm around Amy, they headed off in Astrid's car, leaving Klaus and Alistair to figure out what to do with the mummy of the Phoenix and then call Elijah to tell him that they were home.

* * *

"Have you been waiting a long time for this?" Amy asked Lucien as they sat in the car in Adrian's driveway. "Are you excited?"

"I am indeed," Lucien nodded. But he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was pressing every button in the car he could get his finger on. "What did you say this mode of transport was called again?" He shouted over the loud blaring of the radio.

Amy quickly turned it off and then said, "It's called a car. They were around in 1896, but they definitely were not as common as they are today."

"I think I want one," Lucien smiled as he reached out to stroke the steering wheel lovingly. "I really think I do." He then looked at the front door of the house. "But it can wait. I have other things to attend to now."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Amy asked. "Or would you rather I stayed in the car?"

"Stay in the car, please," Lucien requested. "I want to handle this on my own."

"All right," Amy said doubtfully. "Good luck."

"It's adorable that you think I need it," Lucien smiled, his dark eyes bright. He opened the car door, jumped out, swaggered up the driveway, and knocked, hoping that it would be Felicity who answered the door and not her father. Fortunately, luck was on his side. Or so he thought. "Hello, kitten!" He said brightly, smiling as big as he could. "Aren't you glad to see me?" He tried to steal a kiss then and she slapped him soundly across the face and gave him a swift kick between the legs that sent him flying backwards off the front step.

"What do you think?" Felicity asked smugly as she came to stand over him with a smile. "Does it _seem_ like I'm happy to see you?"

"Strangely enough, no," Lucien shook his head and got to his feet, trying not to wince while she was looking. "But it's my goal to make sure you are, eventually."

"Good luck with that," Felicity said dryly. "It ain't gonna happen."

"Are you all right, Lucien?" Amy asked, getting out of the car and running over to him. "I just _knew_ something like that would happen if you came over here."

"What are you doing with him?" Felicity asked her, feeling outrage. "Don't you know how disgusting he is?"

" _That's_ a bit judgmental," Amy remonstrated her. "You wouldn't say that if you knew him better. You sound so much like Klaus. It's maddening."

"Listen to your grandmother," Lucien said, his voice still a little high pitched from getting kicked. "Get to know me better."

"Oh, I will," Felicity nodded. "When Hell freezes over." She looked at Amy. "Tell Grandpa I said 'Hello' please," She requested and then glared at Lucien. "And don't bring him back here again."

"I get it," Lucien smiled. "You just don't want to see me at home because you're worried about what your father would say."

"No," Felicity shook her head. "I don't know what part of this you're having trouble misunderstanding, but I don't want to see you _at all_. I don't know how I can make that any clearer."

"You can try to keep me away, kitten," Lucien smiled as Amy led him away. "But we'll be seeing each other again soon. I promise."

 **The End**

 **Next up: The Rise of the Phoenix, where The Phoenix is resurrected, and that means trouble for the Original family and anyone else that Edele McCullough feels like messing with, meaning that it will take the combined efforts of the entire Original Family to bring them down. Merry Christmas everyone, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)  
**


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